A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
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For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
.
Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
Indian Currency
 |
Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
[raw] [/raw]
India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
by Narasimhan Santhanam Director - EAI | Jan 5, 2024 | Events
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food. Called Good...A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
-
For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
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Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
| Indian Currency
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Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
[raw] [/raw]
India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
by Narasimhan Santhanam Director - EAI | Jan 4, 2024 | Emerging Cleantech Areas, Events
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 – 2 𝘱𝘮 By the Chennai Climate Consortium Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵. Probably the...A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
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For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
.
Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
| Indian Currency
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Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
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India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
by Narasimhan Santhanam Director - EAI | Jan 4, 2024 | Events
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023 Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at...A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
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For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
.
Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
| Indian Currency
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Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
[raw] [/raw]
India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
by Narasimhan Santhanam Director - EAI | Dec 30, 2023 | Climate Action, Events
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2 While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar. It has even got NASA interested – so much that it recently held...A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
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For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
.
Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
| Indian Currency
|
Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
[raw] [/raw]
India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
by Narasimhan Santhanam Director - EAI | Dec 22, 2023 | Events
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018 Honourable dignitaries present at the event Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director – Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General...A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
A pioneering NASA Mars contest to make sugar from CO2
While there are significant efforts for CO2 conversion to fuels and chemicals, of recent interest has been efforts for converting CO2 to sugar.
It has even got NASA interested - so much that it recently held an exciting contest for making sugar from CO2.
Why should NASA bother? Aren't they the real rocket science guys, while down-to-earth simpletons like plants have been converting CO2 to sugar for almost 500 million years, and at little cost?
Hold your horses for a moment, will you?
The CO2 to sugar conversion through the bio-mechanism that plants use can also be replicated using similar enzymes. But what about CO2 conversion to sugars without using microbes? That would make it an abiotic pathway - implying it has to be thermochemical or electrochemical, and for those a bit more ambitious, photochemical routes.
This exploration of abiotic sugar production from CO2 is not of just academic interest, not at least to NASA. Because, such an abiotic pathway could be useful for space travellers to Mars make sugars from CO2 and feed these sugars to microbes, which in turn can produce the food the folks need while on Mars (whose atmosphere, by the way, is 95% CO2, and gets about half the solar irradiance that earth does).
That is, instead of relying on microbes to produce the sugars, the effort is to grow microbes using sugar. But how can this sugar be produced from CO2 without microbes?
Sugars had not been produced abiotically until now from CO2. At least no one seemed to have tried it seriously - perhaps because it was nobody's problem. So this would be pioneering, if someone could indeed accomplish it.
And someone did. Not one, but three teams.
All three from California. Here's a more detailed report
Read other innovations & insighta for CO2 to value from CLIMAX - https://lnkd.in/gvDfnevp
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Monsi Roman
AIR COMPANY - Gregory Constantine
Wilson Hago - Hago Energetics
Ssweet - University of California, Berkeley - Peidong Yang | Stefano Cestellos-Blanco | Sheena Louisia
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013, Hyderabad – 4th March 2013, Hotel Golconda
Spoorthy Padham in association with New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of A.P (NEDCAP), is organizing a one day conference “AP Renewable Energy Seminar 2013” on 4th March, 2013 at Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad. The two main sectors that will be covered are: Solar & Wind. This event will be of significant benefit to businesses and entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh keen on setting up solar and wind power plants. Top government officials from AP renewable energy sector will be at the event
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Nodal Agencies & Associations - NEDCAP, APGENCO, APTRANSCO, AP Chamber of Commerce
- Financial Institutions & Organizations - IREDA, State Bank of India
- Surana Ventures (leading Indian supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Jinko Solar (global leader and supplier of solar cells and modules)
- Radiant Solar (solar power)
- Elcon Green (wind power)
- EAI (Renewable energy consulting and research firm)
- CoreCarbonX (Solar and wind power consulting, REC and CDM support)
- Solar Semiconductor (solar EPC, developer and module supplier)
- Enercon (Wind power)
Objectives
- Creating Awareness about Regulatory, Financial and Technical Aspects for Solar & Wind
- Critical Assistance in Development of Solar & Wind Power Projects in A.P., and
- Clarification of Policy guidelines to Project Developers and Industries
- Answering Specific Queries from Prospective Solar and Wind Power Plant Developers
Who Should Attend?
The following stakeholders from the solar and wind power industry will find this seminar most useful- Developers
- EPCs & System Integrators
- Businesses Keen on Diversifying into Solar or Wind
- Investors - Banks & Private Equity Companies
- Consultants
- Engineering Companies
- Project Management Companies
- Construction Firms
- Land Bank Owners & Real Estate Firms
- T.L. Shankar, I.A.S., Director, Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund
- A Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chunduri Sai - Principal Editor, Gemini News Channel (Sun Network)
- A. Rama Rao - Executive Director - APGENCO
- Ramesh, I.A.S. - Jt. Managing Director - APTRANSCO
- Kamalakar Babu - Vice Chairman & Managing Director - NEDCAP
- Chandra Shekar - Senior Manager - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA)
- Chandrashekar Reddy - CEO, State Energy Conservation Mission
- Devender Surana - Chairman - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Usha Ramachandra - Professor and Chair Person - Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales -Radiant Solar Pvt. Ltd.
- Narasimhan Santhanam - Director, EAI
- Kuldeep Indeevar - Business Development Head, Jinko Solar
- Mantha B.S., Vice President - Solar Semiconductor
- Rajkiran Bilolikar - Asst. Professor -Energy Area - Administrative Staff College of India
- Paramashivan - Deputy General Manager - SME - State Bank of India
- A. Bharath Reddy - Director of M/s. Elcon Green Gen India Private Limited
- O Subrahmanyam - Former General Manager - NEDCAP
- Yerram Reddy - General Manager - NEDCAP
- Srinivas, Financial Consultant
- G.R.V. Shekar - Sr. Manager - State Bank of India
- Niroj Kumar Mohanty, Managing Director, Core CarbonX Sols Pvt Ltd
- Col.(Retd.) Kishan Sirohi, Head - Business Development & Operation - Enercon India Limited
- Mohammed Khan - Regional Manager - Pragathi Grameena Bank (Specialist financing Solar Energy)
- NMD Shahjahan - President of Urja Technologies and Systems
- Rajeswar Rao - Secretary General - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Immanuel Manoranjan - Director - AP Real Estate Developers Association
- Sathyam, CEO, Neo Silica (Smartgrid Solutions Company)
- Anjali Gandhi Nambiar, Director, Marketing and Sales – M/s. Radiant Solar Pvt Ltd
- K.Srinivas - Deputy General Manager - NEDCAP
Participants & Experts
Professionals and experts belonging to over 100 companies will be participating in the event, in the form of speakers and delegates. == Fees: Only Rs 2000. Interested in registering for this event? Talk to Rajshekar - 09392859636 for registration. Online payments can be done from here. Email for enquiries - spoorthypadham@gmail.com ==Asia Business Responsibility Conclave Exhibition & Conference, Nov 6-8, Mumbai
This is an interesting conclave for those of you keen on knowing how seriously (or otherwise!) Indian corporates are taking the social and environmental responsibility aspects. ABRC 2012 - a pan Asia high quality conference will address:
- The Business Responsibility Charter and Rio + 20 summit
- Aligning of businesses for socio- environmental development using bottom of the pyramid solutions, social ventures
- Best Practices- global, national and voluntary codes of conduct
- Business partnerships with stakeholders and ways of working amicably together for a sustainable future
- Lessons learnt and experiences encountered by drawing on practices adopted by established agencies
- Business responsibility and sustainable development
- Business responsibility and corporate governance
- Responsibility of business towards conservation of resources
- Balancing values- stakeholders, long and short term
- Business response to Rio + 20
- Challenges of developing and deploying sustainable business models
- Socially responsible investments
- Sustainable and innovative challenges
- Business responsibility and GRI framework
- Role of business in sustainable development- possible partnerships with development funds/ aid organizations
- Fair and just labour practices
- Making NGOs work for the social and environmental agenda of business
- Promoting social entrepreneurship for the triple bottom line
- Technologies for bottom of the pyramid
- Adherence to advertising ethics
- Human rights protection in conduct of business
- Protection of women’s rights in the business conduct
- Consumer in the conduct of business
- Ethics agenda in business conduct
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Attend India’s First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru
Attend India's First Bioplastics Conference in Bengaluru -
Nov 24, 25 to explore emerging business opportunities in Bioplastics. Attend the India Bioplastics Summit 2017 - Meet Experts from Prominent Bioplastics Firms - BASF, NatureWorks, FkUR, GreenDiamz, Big Basket & Others - Visit us @ www.eai.in/ibs
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off
Chennai Climate Consortium Workshop Series Kicked Off 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘣 4, 2023
Glad to inform that the real work of Chennai Climate Consortium (C3) has taken off with the first workshop on Industrial Energy Efficiency held on Feb 4, 2023 at Chennai.
C3 is an effort started by a bunch of us a couple of months back to accelerate industrial & commercial decarbonization with a city focussed, multi-stakeholder approach. As far as I know, this is the first such city-based climate action consortium led by the industry anywhere in the world.
The workshop also saw the formal inauguration of C3. I thank Nithish Sairam of Illumine-i , Vineeth Vijayaraghavan & Toine van Megen of Auroville Consulting, all core members of C3, for being present at the inauguration. Thanks also to the other core member Ramesh Matham of businessline for taking time to make it later to the workshop.
It was a productive four hours with about 30 key stakeholders on energy efficiency from Chennai all gathered at one place and having in-depth interactions.
We also had detailed presentations on energy efficiency from the following:
Kannan Sampath of AMSET Energy Systems & Solutions Pvt ltd - on energy auditing & other energy efficiency measures industries & commercial sectors can undertake
SoundaraRajan GS of ALLDELITE HEATPUMPS LIMITED - On the use of heat pumps for lowering energy consumption and carbon footprint for industries
Sudharsan R of Armstrong International – Intelligent Solutions in Steam, Air and Hot Water - on the various low carbon thermal solutions available from his firm, including high temperature & hybrid heat pumps
We had delegates from the industry, consulting & support solution provider sectors, all keen to implement energy efficiency solutions. I thank all the delegates for taking time to attend the workshop.
It is now time for the C3 team to start facilitating interactions between the various stakeholders to make decarbonization happen in the city. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂3 - 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.
(In the C3 inauguration pic, from L to R) - Vineeth, Toine, Nithish & me.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Chennai Climate Startup Stories Workshop
Mar 18, 2023, half day event, 10 𝘢𝘮 - 2 𝘱𝘮
By the Chennai Climate Consortium
Listen to ten innovative Chennai-based 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘛𝘌𝘋-𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.
Probably the first of its kind in our good ole city!
If you are keen on doing something innovative in climate action, or partnering with startups, or even joining a climate startup, be here!
We will have max of 60 in the audience to enhance interactions - first come first served. If interested, talk to Muthu 9952910083 to block your seat. See you at the 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊 𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑
(More details & agenda from here - https://lnkd.in/dwRQtGad )
Some of the founders who will be there (and their startups)
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman - Watsan Envirotech Private Limited - water sustainability
Kern Agrawal - Carbon Loops - waste to bio-energy
Shiv Sharma - Tan90 - sustainable cooling & refrigeration
Rohit Grover - Aerostrovilos Energy - micro gas turbines for automotive electrification
Bhaskar R. - Datasee.AI - analytics for decarbonization
Satya Chakravarthy (Prof, IIT Madras) - Many startups! - electric aviation, micro gas turbines, space tech, hyperloop, renewable fuels… (The ePlane Company, AgniKul Cosmos, Aerostrovilos Energy, Tutr hyperloop)
Nithish Sairam - Illumine-i - global solar power plant & sustainability tech design solutions
Dr. Sivaram Pillai - Proklean Technologies Pvt. Ltd. - bio-based, sustainable chemicals
Sanjeeta kk - OGMO Foods - Sustainable, plant-based foods
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Chennai Electrical Engineering and Energy Workshop on Research Opportunities – 6 Mar IIT @ Madras Research Park
Workshop on Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras Research Park I thought this could be of interest to students and researchers, esp from in and around Chennai, who have an interest in pursuing careers or research in renewable energy Solarillion Foundation (http://www.solarillionfoundation.org), a non-profit research, education and outreach organization focused on renewable energy, sustainable engineering and humanitarian technology, organizes a one day workshop on the 6th March 2014 at the IIT Madras Research Park on “Research Opportunities in Emerging Areas of Electrical Engineering”. The workshop would be a platform for undergraduate students to make themselves aware of the recent trends prevailing in electrical engineering research and how they could involve themselves in it. The students would be engaging with industry experts, academia along with research assistants from Solarillion in this day-long event and the discussions will include topics such as embedded systems, open source hardware systems, power electronics, Internet of Things, big data, solar energy systems, rural microgrids for India among others. As many of the domains in electrical engineering today require an applied inter-disciplinary know-how to solve problems, the workshop aims to bring together experts and students on a common platform to pursue research and projects. The workshop will give an insight into methodologies involved in authoring a research paper that would follow a real-time project implementation. Students intending to pursue higher education, working in core engineering and pursuing research projects would benefit from this event. As this is an interactive workshop seats are limited and preregistration is necessary. For registrations, visit http://www.solarillionfoundation.org/register . For Details contact Solarillion Foundation Dhiwaakar: 9789000707 ; Rajesh : 9677215337 email :solarillionfoundation@gmail.com
Cleantech Entrepreneur Meet Chennai – Jun 12, Evening
This is a note I received from Bhoo of Aspiration Energy, who coordinates the Cleantech SIG of TiE. We are having an interesting meet on Fri evening for all you aspiring entrepreneurs, or Cleanpreneurs as Bhoo would like term us all. " Hi Friends, The much awaited Cleanpreneurs event is quite literally just round the bend, a day before this week ends. Spend your Friday in a green way. Please click to view the invite and register for the event. Cleantech SIG in TiE Chennai is organizing this event “Cleanpreneurs” for entrepreneurs on 12th June ’15 at Clarion Hotel, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai. Waiting to meet you at the event. Bhoo Aspiration Energy " This is in the evening, so that should make it easy for many of you. Wish to be there? Click on this invite and register See you all there.
Complete REaction 2012 Video Available for Sale
REaction 2012, organized by EAI, was India's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and cleantech conference training (Jul 26-28 2012).
The video for the entire event, 20 conference sessions and 10 training/classroom sessions, is available for sale. (For the delegates of the conference, this is complimentary and has already been sent to them).
The video contains all the presentations live (as they happened) along with the PPTs...well, if you could not attend REaction 2012, this product will make you almost feel you had been there!
For those of you who had not attended the event and would like to have the video, here you go. (you can also send a note to rajasekar@eai.in for more details)
CZC Grand Finale – Feb 9, 2018
CZC Grand Finale - Feb 9, 2018
Honourable dignitaries present at the event
Shri Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director - Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Shri Vikram Kapur, IAS, TN Energy Dept Principal Secretary, Shri Robert Burgess, @US Consulate General Chennai , Shri Kris Canekeratne, CEO, @Virtusa , Shri K Bhaskaran, Chairman, IWMA Chennai - Industrial Waste Management Association Showcase Page Chennai and Shri Raghuttama Rao, CEO, Gopalkrishna Deshpande Innovation Centre,@IIT Madras,
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
E2Expo – India’s 1st Online Expo for Energy & Environment Sectors
- Exhibit their solutions and offerings in an attractive manner
- Get relevant traffic and enquiries for their solutions
EAI Perspectives on MCET’s International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment @ Pollachi
SolarMango, a part of EAI, was invited to attend the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Sustainable Environment (RESE) at Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET), Pollachi, held between the 10th and 13th of August, 2015.
We attended the event’s 2nd day, i.e. the 11th of August, which marked the formal beginning of the event.
For the inauguration every attendee, student or sponsor, was guided towards the Centenary Centre, a massive auditorium which was completely illuminated by the Sun because of intelligent passive design elements of the structure. The idea of an auditorium lit by passive solar emphasised that MCETs menat business when it came to renewable energy.
The proceedings started off with the Chairman of MCET, Dr. Manickam, welcoming everyone and initiating proceedings. The large crowd was more than thrilled to see their chairman speak.
View of the large gathering for the initial address.
I was present on stage, along with several other prominent industry figureheads from companies like Butterfly Industries, VOLTECH, SWELECT et al. Representatives from other universities, namely Karunya, Periyar Maniyammai, and Cape Breton were also in attendance on stage. The most prominent figure on stage, however, was the chief guest and Joint Secretary of MNRE, Mr. Tarun Kapoor. All these dignitaries were formally greeted by the Chairman during his initial address. Following this, several other speakers took to the mic before the MoUs were signed. Highlights of some of these speeches were: Manickam, Chairman of MCET Chairmen usually speak for a long time, and again usually, these speeches are more of preachings than anything else. The chairman in this case spoke for hardly 5 minutes, and had a very interesting and memorable point to make: Let us not worry about destroying the earth, because the earth is not exactly bothered. We should rather worry about destroying ourselves with all this pollution because, the earth will live on, but mankind might be destroyed. How true! Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MNRE Comprehensively covered the work done by the MNRE and asserted optimism with regards to the 175 GW renewable energy goal of India by 2022. Tarun Kapoor's perspectives- Older thermal plants could generate power at about Rs 3 but newer ones about 5 Rs. For thermal power plants operating with imported coal, it could be upwards of Rs 5 per kWh
- Natural gas - 7 Rs
- Official potential for RE for India
- Solar 760 GW, Wind 100 GW, Small hydro about 20 GW, but unofficially, for solar and wind it could be much higer. Wind cvould be as high as 2000 GW and no one knows what cud be the limit for solar's potential in India
- Germany gets 71% of its solar capacity of 38 GW from rooftops
- Rooftop solar can generate power between Rs 6.5-7 per unit
- Planning to set up 25 solar parks; today, largest solar PV power plant is 550 MW in the US
- In Karnataka, a solar park is coming up with 2000 MW
- 400 MW already existing
- 31% of Indian households use kerosene
- 5 W LED is enough to light a small room for studying
- Solar heat is a much more efficient method than solar PV
- Solar CST is not common because there are no recgmized and prominent manufacturers
- Traditional biomass still the largest source of energy in India
- Every engineering college should have courses on RE
- PFC, IREDA, REC, PTF Financial services all lending to solar
- Multilateral agencies give 20 years tenure loans 15 years + 5 years moratorium
- Rs 12000 crores per annum result from coal tax into NCEF. @ Rs 200 per T of coal, and India using 600 million T of coal a year
- The accelerated depreciation benefit pretty much pays back the equity for a solar power plant within one year!
- 20 years back, the polytechnic was the first to introduce environmental education
- Voltech Engineers
- Swelect Energy Systems
- INSWAREB
- India Pistons
- WindStream Technologies
- EAI
- Core EL Technologies
- Butterfly Industrial Designs
- Founded Voltech in 1995
- Did electrification of 5 tribal villages in Kerala, 40 kW each
- From 35 Kg, 1 KVA trsnsformer wright came down to 800 g
- SWELECT = Solar, Wind & Electronics
- 1984 Numeric founded, 1989 MoU with IISc
- SWELECT - 40 MW of solar installed, 1400 rooftops, 100 MW cap of solar modules
- Standby power for US TV from 10 W to 3 W for 200 million TVs, Japan brought i down further to 1 W
SolarMango’s presentation
A mix of students and professors in attendance
Our presentation concluded with a brief Q&A, wherein some technical aspects were also touched upon. An interesting question that arose was whether Solar Panels generate any electricity at night, since the moon reflects the suns light. Such questions captured the forward thinking of the students, which was a bright sign of things we can expect from our future engineers. Once this was over, a Tea Break was in order. This was followed by the final few seminars, of which Solar Mango attended some. We had the following takeaways from each of them:- Pradeep Haldar, VP and HoD, SUNY Polytechnic
- Pushpa Arabindoo, Lecturer, UCL
At EAI & Solar Mango, we do not attend many college related renewable energy events, as most of our work is with the industry.
This was however an interesting association we are exploring with MCET. The college, though not considered top tier currently, has a good foundation in terms of management vision and aspirations. They are also putting together a well-balanced collaboration infrastructure, both with academia and industry. All augurs well, and we at Solar Mango are looking forward to working with MCET on a few interesting projects in the renewable energy + industry/academia intersections.
Some specific perspectives & data insights from the speakers and experts
EAI presents at SolarCon 2013
EAI's Narasimhan Santhanam was a featured speaker at the recently concluded SolarCon at Bangalore. Narasimhan participated in a panel discussion session on financing for solar PV power plants . This panel also included:
- Vineeth Vijayaraghavan of Panchabuta
- Gaurav Sood of SolaireDirect
- SJ Vijay of Solomon Leap Associates
- and representatives from IREDA, among others
EcoSure Solar Conference Telangana Sep 7 2015
Telangana Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy @ the conference
A solar conference with a focus on Telangana took place in Hyderabad on 7 Sep. Organized by EcoSure Events, this was supported by the government of Telangana as well as a number of solar related entities in the region. From the government's side, the Home Minister of Telangana Nayani Narasimha Reddy participated in the inaugural session. (see my post on the conference announcement here) I represented Solar Mango for the event, and moderated some of the conference sessions.
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Some of the interesting sessions at the conference included:
Key Trends in Growth & Challenges for Solar in Telangana, in which the following spoke:
- Srirama Raju of Winsol Pvt Ltd.
- Mantha Subramaniyam of UKM Solar
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- Vineet Mittal fo Navitas Solar
- Girish Gelli of Mytrah Energy
- DV Sathya of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Ajay Reddy of Premier Solar
- KS Ramesh fo KSR Financials
- Solar consultant Pampapathy Anchala
- Vineet Mittal of Navitas Solar
- Venkat Tangirala of Wind Stream Technologies
- MR Srinivas of Akasam Consultants.
I am noting the inputs and insights gathered during the day under specific categories:
Challenges
Some of the challenges highlighted were
- Getting a strong PPA is a challenge
- Getting debt is a challenge
- Getting financial closure is a challenge, especially for small and medium developers, as large guys are getting financial closure without too much trouble
- The tariffs for solar are getting too low to become unviable for most small and medium developers. Even at Rs 6.49/kWh project IRRs less than 12%, according to one financial expert who was a speaker
- Another constraint is whether vendors will be able to scale up to provide modules in time
- 20,000 liters required per day of water per MW for a solar PV farm
- While O&M for solar PV is not complicated, it nevertheless has some challenges
- Another interesting challenge pointed out was: Implementation not spread out evenly, but everyone will rush at the same time - for instance, if a large amount of structures are required at the same time instead of spread over a year, can manufacturers of structures meet the requirements in such a short time?
- One of the positives mentioned was that solar power is now considered close to being a mainstream power sector. The key turning point was the UPA govt's aligning of the solar sector with the power sector, and thus initiating the early PPAs for solar power plants.
- The other positive pointed out was that, at current costs and prices, very soon the solar market can grow without the need for policies and incentives.
- Renewable energy corridors were recommended. To a certain extent, these are already being worked on in various states.
- It was pointed out that the current practice of reverse bidding for everyone in general is discouraging small bidders; it hence was recommended that govt should give separate bids for small players
- Another suggestion was to do away with pure reverse bidding and instead resort to a cost plus structure for tariff determination.
- Another useful recommendation was to encourage 3rd party sales with free open access. This will make a big difference indeed, in my opinion.
- 14% with commercial banks, could get it at 12.5% for PFC solar loans
- In most cases, banks insist on 100% collateral security
- For large Takes 4-6 months to raise a loan
- For large IPPs like Mytrah, the following are the terms they are able to get from banks
- Interest rates of 11-11.5% for their projects
- Loan payback is 15 years
- 8-9 years payback
- Banks still not comfortable with solar, they avoid products and opportunities unless there is structured packaging
- For international financing, today, hedging cost is 7%. It was suggested that measures should be taken in order to bring the 7% to a much lower number (though I am not sure what could be done, as this has to do with the overall country risk and the strength of the rupee).
- Getting a client/PPA ==> Raising money ==> Securing land ==> Buying equipment ==> Installing equipment ==> Operating the power plants
- Large IPPs such as Mytrah work with channel partners for rooftops solar implementations
- When it comes to solar-diesel hybrids, max 30% of DG set and max 50% of the load should be the capacity of the solar system; for this system, the inverter needs to be smart
- There are some challenges on installation and cooling for slant roof and also concern on the cost of cleaning
- Q: If a person wants to start new in solar, how should he go about building his business?
- Well, not sure if there was a well defined answer for this question, but broadly what was received as an answer was that the person should carefully choose his product and target segment combo before investing.
- Q: There was a question/complaint that single phase AC pumps are not available
- Pampapathy, the solar consultant, agreed, but mentioned that single phase DC pumps were available
- In the context of solar pumps, Pampapathy also recommended the use of VFDs to make sure it runs the motor at variable speeds based on the amount of solar power available
- Q: A question was asked to Venkat of Wind Stream - What is the lifetime of the Solar Mill and what was the output per kW?
- He said the lifetime was the same for solar panels (25 years) and VAWTs (20 years). So, I guess the answer would be the lower of the two, or 20 years
- Output of the SolarMill - 3.5 units/kW/day
- Q: Then there was another interesting question: Do solar business opportunities belong only to large companies?
- While many experts on stage did agree that large scale solar farms presented opportunities only for large companies, some mentioned that there were significant opportunities available in the rooftop solar space (especially the non subsidy segment) and also sub-contracting space for EPCs for large scale solar farms
- A representative from Cargomen Logistics mentioned an interesting aspect to be considered before acquiring land, that is, to ensure road access to land is good for a variety of vehicles to move.
- It was also pointed out by some speakers that it was mainly the large companies that had been able to corner most of the allocations in the recent Telangana solar allocation
- Shapoorji 180 MW
- Suzlon 210 MW
- Mytrah 320 MW
- Skypower 200 MW
- Many speakers raised a point on the low tariff range that the Telangana allocation had resulted in: Rs 5.17-5.88/unit
- Mantha Subramanian of UKM Solar, who had interestingly shifted from the IT field to the solar industry, also mentioned that there might not be significant amount of independent EPC opportunities for the utility scale solar projects in Telangana, as most of the large developers would be doing the EPC themselves. Personally though, I feel that many of them, while retaining the overall EPC responsibility might sub-contract part of the work to smaller players.
- Sapna Gopal, an independent journalist covering Energy & Environment, and writing for media such as India Climate Dialogue and Eco Magazine, sent me the following writeup on the event. (Thank you, Sapna)
Energy Efficiency Program @ Chennai – Energy Efficient Drives and Controls – an Integrated Approach to Energy Saving
Organized by SEEM (Society of Energy Engineers and Managers) On 8 March, 2014; 9.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. At: INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS (I) AUDITORIUM, Swami Sivanatha Salai, Chepauk, Chennai - 600005 Contact Mr. Ramrajeev, AMSET Energy [SEEM TN Chapter], Chennai 044 2829 5558 ; Cell: 97102 70918 Email: info@amsetenergy.in Target Participants Energy Managers and Auditors, Factory Operations, Maintenance and Energy Engineers and Managers, Consultants and Applications Engineers and Managers, Policy Makers, Planners and Engineers of all Disciplines. Fees Rs 1,000 (Rupees one thousand only) per Participant.This includes Workshop materials, Tea, Lunch & Snacks Workshop Details Energy Conservation, in reality, deals with the 3 areas of =>Avoiding wastes =>Using Energy Efficiently and =>Use of Renewable Sources of Energy Efficient use of Energy requires major attention, as we are still one of the countries with high levels of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of GDP compared to the Global averages. Of the 3 End use Forms of Energy, namely, HEAT, FUEL and ELECTRICITY, Electricity comprises of almost 60% of the Total Energy usage. Among the Major uses of Electrical Energy, use of Energy through Motors conversion to Mechanical Energy- forms almost 70 to 80% of the total use. Though it is normally assumed as Motors consuming most of the Energy, the FACT is that the Motor Driven Systems comprising of the Motors, the Driven Equipments and the Controls, together decide on the total consumption of Energy. It is found that with the considerable Developments in the areas of Efficiencies of Motors and all kinds of Driven Equipments and the advancements and Applications and cost effectiveness of Controls like Variable Frequency, Variable Voltage and the combinations, provide ample scope for considerable Energy Savings through INTEGRATED APPROACH, addressing all the three areas keeping in mind the actual Process requirements. This Workshop aims to deal with the latest Advancements in these areas and the vast potentials of Energy Saving available. About SEEM SEEM - The Society of Energy Engineers and Managers is the national professional body of certified energy managers and auditors in India. SEEM is a non-governmental / not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Societies Act, created to complement the efforts of Governmental /Non governmental agencies in energy conservation/energy efficiency improvement activities. Its basic objective is to provide energy conservation and knowledge-based energy services to all sectors of the economy through its members. SEEM aims to build up a network among business, industries, utilities, academia and government for knowledge sharing, capacity building and leadership development. See also: an interesting emerging cleantech segment - Building Energy Analytics
Energy Technology Vision 2035 Initiative – Participation Requested from Students
The Technology and Information Forecasting Assessment Council (TIFAC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India is organizing Technology Vision 2035 for our country. This is the second such exercise of TIFAC and is a follow-up to the exercise carried out in the early nineties under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Technology Vision 2020). The present program comprises of 12 different themes such as Agriculture, Health Care, Manufacturing, ICT, Energy Technologies, etc. Under each branch there are expert committees working on a report to aid the government in policy-making for those areas. TIFAC and the Energy Technology Advisory Committee thought of a parallel youth initiative for the Energy Technology Vision 2035 since young Indians presently in the age-groups of 18-30 will be leaders and decision-makers in 2035. Therefore, TIFAC, Govt. of India is providing us the opportunity to contribute our share in defining the Energy future of India. This is the first time that a student-run initiative at this scale has been proposed. Here are the Goals of this one-of-a-kind initiative:
- Identifying the trends in energy needs of our people by 2035
- Identifying the appropriate mix of technologies to fulfill those needs
- Identifying the investments in energy R&D, energy related infrastructure and energy education/ training
- Aid in the fulfillment of the above objectives
- Reaching out to the students all over the world
- Creating awareness and capturing ideas
- Starting the thinking process of the future decision-makers
- Research Collaborations that should go on forever
- National Integration
EnVision 2023 – India’s first “Energy Festival”
EnVision 2023 - India's first "Energy Festival"
Organized By: IITM Research Park, Chennai. Dec 4 & 5 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭: 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
I have been organizing climate related events for over a decade now - must have organized over 30! Dashed odd for a chap who is the very opposite of a networking busybee, but I do this despite DNA conflicts because events are high value if done with focus - and answering three specific questions well:
1. Why on earth are we doing this? What is the REAL value we intend to add?
2. Who is the target audience? And the answer CANNOT be "anyone interested in clean energy"!
3. What is unique about the event? Why should I attend it instead of using alternatives to get the same value?
As most events fail to answer even one of the above, I rarely attend events any more.
Glad to see IITM's EnVision trying to answer some of the above questions in this year's edition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬-𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Climate tech is engineering and science at the core. And assuming technology can indeed take care of climate change (a big IF right now), our best bet would be to have bright scientific and engineering minds focussed on impact themes. I have seen this sector for over 15 years and been witness to real loads of nonsense - real high time that brains got focussed on the right things.
I like some of the themes I see at EnVision:
=> Heating & cooling - underserved sectors, esp the former
=> Green built environment - hoping there's enough focus on embedded carbon too
=> Motors & controllers - a lovely topic, especially if it can push more manufacturing to India
=> Energy storage - evergreen impact domain!
=> Micro Modular Nuclear - intriguing, keen to know more, nuclear being an unsung (if dicey) hero of zero carbon energy
Now, let me see who we have at EnVision 23...some personalities of eminence I can recognize are:
=> Kalaiselvi - Director, CSIR
=> Juzer Vasi - IIT Bombay
=> Ashok Jhunjhunwala - IITM Research Park
=> Chock Karuppiah - CTO of Ohmium
=> Sujay Ghosh - First Solar
And many experts from IITM of course (Satya Seshadri, Aravind Chandran, Rajnish Kumar, Karthik Athmanathan...)
Appears like two days of excellent value and interactions for industry professionals keen to know the science behind high impact climate action domains.
Gratitude to Anson Sando and IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) for making CLIMAFIX a partner for this event.
CLIMAFIX and EAI network folks can also get a discount on the ticket.
Will be writing more on this. For now, mark your calendars - Dec 4 & 5, Chennai!
See my LinkedIn post on this topic.
EPC – To Last a Lifetime – Anil Jain, Managing Director, Refex Energy
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| During the Developer & EPC meet Mr. Anil Jain, Managing Director of Refex Energy, made a presentation on EPC – To Last a Lifetime. He discussed factors such as AC and DC system design, tests to be conducted before commissioning the plant, and O&M practices. |
- EPC
- In-house design capabilities – To optimise the plant for site conditions
- Capability to deliver onsite – The execution team should be able to implement the plan and design
- Components – Choice of best quality components is essential to reliability
- O&M – A good service provider is required to ensure proper and timely maintenance is performed
- Design – The solar plant is designed as a series of compromises to provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity. Two vital components are
- Modules – Attributes to be considered include cost, power output, benefits/drawbacks of technology type, quality, spectral response, performance in low light, nominal power tolerance levels, degradation rate, and warranty terms
- Inverters – Important factors are compatibility with module technology, compliance with grid code and other applicable regulations, inverter-based layout, reliability, system availability, serviceability, modularity, telemetry requirements, inverter locations, quality, and cost
- DC system
- PV modules
- Inverters
- DC cabling (module, string and main cable)
- DC connectors (plugs and sockets)
- Junction boxes/combiners/disconnects/switches
- Protection devices
- Earthing
- AC system
- AC cabling
- Switchgear
- Transformers
- Substation
- Earthing and surge protection
- Data acquisition and monitoring – The yield of the plant is monitored and compared with estimates from irradiation data to identify shortfalls and rectify defects. Also, this helps the power plants provide the required 24-hour forecasts at 30-minute intervals to the network operators
- Construction – Quality of construction is important in raising finance for the project, particularly from international lenders. Some of the issues faced during construction are
- Foundations not being suited to ground conditions
- Discovery of hazardous/contaminated substances during excavation
- Incorrect orientation of modules
- Insufficient cross-bracing on mounting structures
- Incorrect use of torque wrenches
- Damaging cables during construction/installation
- Delayed grid connection
- Access/construction constrained by weather
- Insufficient clearance between rows for vehicle access
- Commissioning – Commissioning of the plant should prove that the plant is safe, robust, and performs to expectations. There are 3 kind of tests to ensure this
- Visual acceptance tests – Detailed visual inspection of all significant aspects of the plant
- Pre-connection acceptance tests – These are tests conducted before grid connection and include an open circuit voltage test and short circuit current test
- Post-connection acceptance test – After connecting to the grid, a DC current test should be carried out to check that the promised performance ratio met. An availability test, usually over a period of 5 days, should also be carried out
- Operations & Maintenance – This consists of
- Scheduled maintenance
- Module cleaning
- Checking module connection integrity
- Checking junction/string combiner boxes
- Thermographic detection of faults
- Inverter servicing
- Inspecting mechanical integrity of mounting structures
- Vegetation control
- Routine balance of plant servicing/inspection
- Scheduled maintenance
- Unscheduled maintenance
- Tightening cable connections that have loosened
- Replacing blown fuses
- Repairing lightning damage
- Repairing equipment damaged by intruders or during module cleaning
- Rectifying supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) faults
EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance – Amit Kaushik, Director Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Center, MEMC
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Amit Kaushik, Director of Energy Analytics & India Renewables Operations Centre of MEMC, spoke on EPC/Vendor Quality issues impacting Plant Performance. During his presentation he discussed the features and limitations of various metrics used in evaluating solar plants, variability present in such measurements, and the reasons for various failures in power plants |
- Energy Production – Most basic, how much energy does the plant produce
- Insolation – Sunlight received from the plant
- Yield – Energy produced per unit of plant capacity
- Performance Ratio – Proportion of received sunlight converted into electricity. This is an important ratio that effectively measures every feature in the design and implementation of the plant
- Investment Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual energy produced to reference energy produced. Reference (or expected) energy produced is calculated from simulations based on boundary conditions such as land, design, and weather conditions
- Operating Performance Ratio (OPR) – Proportion of actual energy produced to expected energy produced with actual weather. This formula is used to overcome the limitations of the Investment Performance Ratio that has an assumption of weather conditions built into it which might not coincide with the actual weather experienced at the site. The two most important weather factors that determine energy produced are insolation and temperature which are measured to calculate the total energy that could have been produced at the site if the plant is functioning as it should
- Weather Performance Ratio – Proportion of actual insolation to reference insolation. This ratio explains the variation from financial forecasts that can occur due to local weather (weather risk)
- Availability – Proportion of sunlight hours where the plant was ready to produce electricity (measured as weighted average of inverter availability). The limitation of this calculation is that it gives equal weight to any hour of the day that the inverter is not generating electricity even though in practise different hours of the day impose a different loss due to non availability
- Construction – 35%
- Use of under-speced parts – Load imposed is greater than they can withstand
- Poor workmanship
- Construction issues usually manifest themselves within the first quarter of the plant being commissioned, and then gradually reduce as they get resolved
- External grid – 27%
- Grid fluctuations
- Planned and unplanned grid shutdown
- Parts/Materials – 24%
- Modules and inverters related
- While failure of parts is not unexpected as no single part can last forever, the extent of loss attributed to such failures suggests that they are more frequent than allowed for
- Other – 13%
- Potential Induced Degradation (PID effect) in modules (leakage of current into the frame of the modules. He mentioned that 2012 saw a sudden spurt in PID related failures compared with previous years, suggesting that price wars were taking their toll on quality
- Causes >50% reduction in module output
- Conditions required for PID
- - ve floating
- Crystalline modules
- High voltage of strings (> 600 V)
- Humidity
- Site temperature
- Cable faults
- Excessive hardware and firmware related failures in inverters
- Inability to absorb grid fluctuations led to IGBT failures
- Hardware and firmware level modifications are required to reduce failure rates
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 – Thank you!
EV Innovations Workshop by C3 - Thank you!
I have been unusually busy last few days - that's a positive spin on having been "more inefficient than usual".
Here's thanking everyone who made it to the EV Innovations Workshop held by the Chennai Climate Consortium at Illumine-i office on May 27th.
We had over a hundred folks from all the EV value chain sectors, and about ten experts who presented excellent insights and perspectives on EV innovations & investments - not bad for an informal city-specific, half day workshop
Thank you once again to everyone who was there - especially the venue hosts Illumine-i (Nithish Sairam, Rahul Tholath Mathew, CLSSBB®, Sudarsan Krishnan, Nandhini Devi Govindaraj), organic dairy & goodie hosts Akshayakalpa Organic(Vachana Shetty, Chandan Raghothama).
Thanks to all the speakers & presenters. And to everyone else who made it.
We have made a directory of all those who were present (brief profile & email) and sent this to all the participants. Anyone else who wishes to have this directory, buzz me a DM or let me know in the Comments section, and I will send it.
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
GE, ENERPARC, CWET, Vikram Solar Join as Sponsors @ RENERGY 2013
EAI, the marketing coordinator for RENERGY 2013 organized by TEDA, is proud to announce that GE Power Conversion, ENERPARC, CWET & Vikram Solar have joined as key sponsors and supporters of RENERGY 2013, India's most productive renewable energy event, May 9-11 @ Chennai GE Power Conversion - This division of the global leader provides efficient solutions for power conversion for a whole range of energy and power sectors. At RENERGY 2013, they will be emphasising on their power conversion solutions for the renewable energy sector, specifically for solar and wind. More ENERPARC - ENERPARC is a globally acclaimed company offering EPC and consultancy services for solar power plants, specializing in large-scale photovoltaic projects. More C-WET - C-WET serves as the technical focal point of excellence to foster the development of wind energy in the country. More Vikram Solar - Vikram Solar is an internationally renown solar photovoltaic company, providing services both as a supplier of solar PV modules and as a high quality EPC. More RENERGY 2013 will host India's largest renewable energy summit (with over 2000 industry professionals) and one of the most comprehensive renewable energy exhibitions. We have over 150 companies who have already confirmed for the exhibition. If you wish to be an exhibitor at RENERGY 2012, contact, Preethi - 9043249391 If your company wishes to gain significant visibility for the pan Indian renewable energy market by being a sponsor at the event, contact Tinu, 9566298413
GK Ramakrishnan Presentation at EAI Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls – Ramakrishnan G K, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development Solar L&T Constructions
| Mr. Ramakrishnan, Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development for Solar at L&T Constructions, made a presentation to the audience at the Developer-EPC meet on Solar Power Plant Option Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls. During his speech he discussed the outlook for solar power in India, the recent solar policies from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, challenges faced in building solar plants, and the questions that need to be raised by developers. |
- 12,000 MW – Average demand
- 2,000 MW – Average power deficit
- 3,500 MW – Peak power deficit
- Every unit of electricity generated releasing 0.82 kWh of CO2
- India is the 5th largest contributor to Green House Gasses emissions
- Still in its nascent stage, with only 1 GW of solar power being generated in India
- Is not location specific
- 5.5 kWh/m2/day – Average radiation across Central, Western, and Peninsular India (Europe experiences only 4-4.5 kWh/m2/day)
- Achievements
- Gujarat – Out of Phase 1 (650 MW) and Phase 2 (640) MW of allocations, 600 MW of solar plants are currently running with 300 MW contributed by Charanka Solar Park alone
- Rest of India – Power plants of about 250 MW have been commissioned
- Project size and cost
- Size – From 1 MW 3 years ago, we are now seeing 100 MW projects at a single location
- Cost – From 13-15 Crores/MW 3 years ago, we are now implementing projects at Rs. 8 Crores/MW
- Growth
- Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) combined are projected to grow at 30% over the next 3 years (compared with 40% worldwide)
- 3,000 MW by 2015
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,000 MW via tender
- 500 MW via Solar Purchase Obligations (SPOs)
- 1,500 MW – Utility scale projects
- 1,100 MW – REC projects
- 500 MW – Rooftop projects
- 350 MW – Government projects
- 150 MW – Private projects
- Renewable Purchase Obligations – High Tension (HT) customers will have to consume either through captive generation or by buying REC credits
- 3% by 2013
- 6% from 2014 onwards
- For residential customers, in addition to the incentives under JNNSM (30% of capital subsidy up to 1 kW for residential and 100 kW for commercial and institutional projects), a further generation incentive is provided
- Rs. 2/kWh (first 2 years)
- Rs. 1/kWh (next 2 years)
- Rs. 0.50/kWh (next 2 years)
- Tariff based bidding for 1,000 MW
- At 110 KV generation and consumption voltage – Rs. 1.60/kWh open access charges without considering duties and other losses
- At 110 KV generation and consumption at 33/22/11 KV (Discom) voltages – Rs. 1.82/kWh comprising open access and wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- At 33/22/11 KV generation and consumption voltage (any commercial or industrial HT consumer) – Rs. 0.23/kWh of wheeling charges and excluding transmission losses
- No cap or target on generation
- 1,000 MW government tender
- Captive generation, wheeling of power inside and outside the state, being a merchant plant, etc., are all permitted provided wheeling, transmission, and access charges are paid. REC benefits are also available (though whether such benefits are bankable is debatable)
- Wheeling and transmission charges are waived for captive generation under certain conditions (not applicable for REC projects)
- Energy banking is allowed (this is not clear in the Tamil Nadu policy) except in the peak season (February-July) and at peak times (6-10 PM). Banking charges are not as high as in Tamil Nadu
- High capital costs – Despite prices reducing by 50% over the last 3-4 years to about Rs. 8 Crores/MW, the cost of a Solar PV continues to be high on a PLF basis when compared to Wind farms and even higher compared to conventional thermal plants which cost about 4-5 Crores/MW
- Low PLF – The Plant Load Factor of a Solar PV plant is only 20% or less, compared to 80% and above for a thermal plant
- Policy and regulatory issues
- Knowledge barriers amongst financial institutions – Only a few banks are offering non-recourse project based funding
- Reliable EPC partner – It is the EPC who can give some assurance that the plant will keep running as equipment manufacturers may not continue to function
- Local law and order problems
- Usage of local labour – This could become a local obligation
- Site conditions – Water logging, right of way, etc.
- Poor infrastructure – These sites are usually barren and basic infrastructure, starting with access roads, are an issue
- Clearances for commissioning – There are many regulations to be complied with, such as clearing the land for industrial use with local authorities
- Labour licenses, etc.
- MNRE exemptions – A module can be imported at zero duty, but every component in the module is levied a duty if it is manufactured in India. This leads to a preference for imported panels. A concessional duty of 5% (as against the prescribed duty of 28%) is levied on inverters and other imported systems, and excise duty of domestic products is completely waived provided all documentation is clear
- Choice of vendor and subcontractor – This is critical depending on the timelines of the project. The transformers and HT switchgear alone usually take 12-18 weeks to be manufactured, whereas the entire solar project has to be completed in that time or less
- Choice of components
- Modules – These have issues related to Snail Trail, Hot spots/Thermal cycling, Light Induced and Potential Induced degradation, etc.
- Inverters – Many inverter manufacturers do not have experience with bad grids and cannot handle the grid conditions in India – 33KV line has +10%/-15% fluctuations, frequency of +-3Hz, and unusual reactive power requirements. Manufacturer should have adequate testing facilities and be able to tune the inverter to Indian conditions with snubbers and filter circuits
- Structures – Corrosion issues are faced with different soil and subsoil conditions. Lightning arresters, adequate earthing, galvanising etc., need to be taken care of
- Project type – Captive, REC, RPO, or merchant power plant
- Installation
- Ground mounted or rooftop
- Fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, or tracker
- Crystalline or Thin Film
- Central or String inverters – Choice depends on the topography of the land, AC vs. DC losses, and central vs. String monitoring
- Nature of land – Layout, soil, water logging, highest flood level, distance to substation, etc.
- Evacuation scheme
- Voltage – The significance of this has been explained previously with the discussion on access and wheeling charges at different voltages. In Tamil Nadu 11 KV is permitted for 1-2 MW plants while 33 KV is standard for 1-5 MW plants in Andhra Pradesh. Higher voltages make for a more reliable grid but the higher voltage switchgear has to be built into the plant which adds to the developer’s cost
- Distance – The lower the voltage, the lower the transmission cost to the nearest injection plant but grid instability is higher
- Approvals – Various permits and clearances need to be obtained
Good Food for Schools – pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
Good Food for Schools - pilot started at RMK School, Chennai
The Chennai Climate Consortium along with Akshayakalpa Organic launched the first pilot of its efforts to provide sustained, hands on education to school children on soil, farming and food.
Called Good Food for Schools, it aims at getting school children appreciate and learn about nature, environment and soil in a way that is engaging and relatable. We try doing this by taking a small group of children through a series of ten sessions spread over three months (each session about 2 hours) at the end of which the school will have a lovely vegetable fruit garden, something that the children have designed and built, and something that we hope children over the many next years will continue to build.
The produce from the farm of course can be consumed right in the school.
This is a small pilot, but I'm excited. While it is done as part of Chennai Climate Consortium, it has significant implications for CliDemy - the Climate Academy, where schools form a critical segment of our efforts to provide climate education to a billion people worldwide by 2030.
We plan to do a pilot in one more school in Chennai this year, expected to start next week, and the idea is to take this forward to more schools based on the learnings from the pilot.
I will provide updates of what we learn from this thoroughly motivating exercise.
Thank you Akshayakalpa Organic & RMK School, Thiruverkadu, Chennai for getting this pilot off the ground - it has been a few months in the making.
Also thank our enthu intern Pragadeesh R for anchoring this effort past two months and helping us get it off the ground.
Chandan Raghothama | Kern Agrawal | Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Pragadeesh R
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT – Madras!
Grand Finale of Carbon Zero Challenge @ IIT - Madras!
Who will win?
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Virtusa IWMA Chennai IITM Incubation Cell VenturEast Keiretsu Forum
Be here for the demo day on Feb 9th from 4-5.30 PM. Know More @ http://bit.ly/2EHdXNp and more about the teams http://bit.ly/2EffWux
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Green Manufacturing – Executive Session – Chennai, Jun 23, 6 PM
Executive Session on Towards Green Industrialization: Celebrating Climate Change Action in Manufacturing at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai The Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older requipment more energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It can be as complex as a plan for a new city, or as a simple as improvements to a cook stove design. The focus is now on action. The least we can do is to applaud the pioneers who are leading from the front. Learn from their experiences. And replicate their success stories. Program: Inaugural Address by Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai. Address by Mr. V. Narasimhan - Executive Director – Foundry, Brakes India Ltd Address by Mr. Eisenhower , India - Director, Operations, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd Interactions Time, Date & Venue 6 pm on 23rd June, 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai To register, use the form below. About Footprints Footprints an event hosted jointly by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) and Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) would showcase and celebrate inspiring stories about individuals and organizations (champions) in the manufacturing sector, doing their bit to mitigate the effects of Climate Change. Each month one or more speakers from the manufacturing sector would be invited to share their experience of how they convinced various stakeholders in their organization to achieve the Carbon Foot print reduction. The focus will be on the various managerial actions and decision making processes that lead to the success. The objective is to learn from their experiences and replicate their success stories. Participation by invitation only. Kindly register at the earliest as seats are limited. ==Registration Form== Please fill in the registration form and mail it to sicci@sicci.in or fax to 044-25341876 Registrations will need to confirmed/approved by SICCI. (Print this part of the page and fill it in) EXECUTIVE SESSION ON TOWARDS GREEN INDUSTRIALIZATION: CELEBRATING CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION IN MANUFACTURING at 6 pm on 23rd June 2015 at Hotel My Fortune, Chennai REGISTRATION FORM Name: ................................................................................................... Organisation: ......................................................................................... . Address: ................................................................................................. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Telephone: ................................... Fax .................................................... Mobile: ........................................ E-mail................................................ . THE SOUTHERN INDIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY Indian Chamber Buildings, No. 6, Esplanade, Chennai - 600 108 Tel: 044-25342228, 25342229. Fax: 044-25341876 E-mail: sicci@sicci.in Signature ==End of Registration Form==
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
Grow Your Own Food at Home Program for Chennai Corporates
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝒃𝒚 𝑪3 & 𝑨𝒌𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒚𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒂
𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔
Are you are a corporate animal - a cubicle dweller, the corner room manager, or the boardroom honcho?
Whoever you are and wherever within a corporate building you reside, you still work amidst concrete and metal most of the time. And most times, your environment back home too comprise these.
𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲!
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 where you also have the pleasure of growing some of your own food could be a lovely way to connect with nature. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, healthy and circular, even better.
Here's a program your corporate might want to try out: Good Food Movement for Corporates.
Organized by Chennai Climate Consortium in partnership with the organic dairy & farming pioneer Akshayakalpa Organic, the 2 hour interactive, fun program done at your corporate / office will help your office colleagues quickly try out growing organic home food.
The Akshayakalpa folks have agreed to do this program at a few Chennai corporates to kick it off. If your organization is interested in having this program done at your venue, please DM me here or send a note to narsi@eai.in .
Besides the 2 hour workshop, we also plan to have a support system that will help you be motivated and guided and implement the organic food garden at your home.
There is no fee for this program.
I look forward to hearing from Chennai corporates interested to have this program at their venues.
Vachana Shetty | Shashi Kumar | Chandan Raghothama
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Hyderabad Solar PV Installers Training & UL Certification – Feb 20-22, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Hyderabad. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. Experts from the UL team, along with other industry experts, will provide in-depth training for solar PV power plant installation. Will be relevant for both grid connected and offgrid solar PV power plants. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. This certificate will be a useful asset for your solar PV career / profession. [As there are few days left and limited seats, those interested kindly contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com] Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the fourth such program iAcharya and UL are conducting, and the first in Hyderabad. The earlier three training programs had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. Please find below the details about this unique training programme.
Date: 20th - 22nd Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Green Park, Hyderabad.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head will be fee for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile – 09840354701 ) – meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Interested? Send a mail to panchu@eai.in or events@eai.in .
Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
India Cleantech Challenge 2016 – Chennai, April 21 – Be There!
You will be knowing that EAI had launched an incubation division for cleantech startups, Cleancubator, a few months back. I'm pleased to let you know that Cleancubator is part of an exciting cleantech event, organized by TiE Chennai Cleantech SIG, and also partnered by the Founder Institute.
The first ever nationwide cleantech contest, the India Cleantech Challenge 2016, will be taking place in Chennai on April 21.
Cleantech is perhaps the largest social and entrepreneurial movement happening worldwide, especially after the COp 21 summit. Estimates suggest that over $15 TRILLION will be invested globally in this sector over the next 25 years. Governments, powerful corporates and influential individuals such as Bill Gates are pouring in their time, efforts and money into this segment, as this could literally be the Do or Die sector for the future of the earth! As a result, a large number of interesting and attractive business opportunities will be opening up in this sector. At the same time, the sector faces crucial challenges too. If you are interested in knowing about what's happening in cleantech, both in India and worldwide, the emerging trends and business opportunities and meet exciting entrepreneurs making waves in this sector, you should be at the India Cleantech Challenge at Chennai on Apr 21.What can you get from the 1st India Cleantech Challenge?
- You can meet passionate cleantech entrepreneurs working on some exciting projects.
- You can learn the hottest business trends and opportunities in the field of Cleantech, both in India and worldwide
- You can meet and network with Cleantech investors
- 330-430 PM - Expert presentations and insights on cleantech trends, and opportunities in India
- 430-5 PM - Pitches by 5 teams that have come up with innovative cleantech ideas and solutions
- 5-530 PM - Judging of the pitches, and announcement of winners, along with analysis of the concepts
- 530-630 PM - Networking & high tea
- Date: – 21st April 2016 (Thursday), Time: – 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Venue: – Hotel Hilton, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Guindy, Chennai.
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For Registration call Ravi @ 9952475480, Or Send a note to ask@cleancubator.com
- Renewable & Sustainable Energy - Solar, Wind, Bio-energy, hydro power, other emerging energy solutions such as wave, tidal, geothermal and more.
- Energy Efficiency & Conservation
- Energy Storage - Batteries and other emerging storage solutions including thermal storage
- Green Buildings
- Electric Vehicles
- Waste Management & Waste to Energy
- Water Management
- Sustainable products and solutions - Eco Chemicals
- Smart Grid
- Sustainable Pollution Control - Air & water Pollution control, CO2 Sequestration
Interesting web resources
- C2V - CO2 to Value - a comprehensive web resource providing insights on opportunities in converting CO2 into a range of useful products - fuels, chemicals, food & materials
- All about CO2 - CO2 Q&A - a unique resource providing answers to 100+ questions on the most talked about gas today.
India’s First Rooftop Solar Installer’s Meet – Chennai, Jul 25 2015
Solar Rooftop's Installer's Meet ( 25-07-2015)
The government has announced massive plans to expand solar rooftop in India from 400 MW currently to 40,000 MW by 2022 , a 100 fold increase. However do we have a strong, uniform and coherent industrial voice to provide the right guidance and impetus to the government and the industry as a whole? Do we have a unified platform to bring together the prominent stakeholders to discuss ways and means to turn this massive opportunity into a booming reality?
The answer is sadly NO! It is this need that Solar Mango endeavored to address by bringing together about 25 system integrators from 6 to 7 cities with operations ranging from small to large scale onto one platform, for India's first rooftop solar installers meet.
The idea was to discuss, deliberate and ascertain what are if not all but atleast some of the answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical challenges the Industry is facing today?
- What are work arounds needed to address these challenges-both at a government and industry level?
- What are the potential innovations and opportunities this sector has to offer for budding and established players in this nascent market?
- Unreliable policies especially subsidies and net metering is hurting the market and influencing consumer behavior. Consumers most often ask the System Integrator to factor in the subsidy into the overall cost and with the inconsistency in receiving subsidy on time, this becomes extremely challenging for smaller players.
- New players entering into the market with a hope to capture some portion of the pie are affecting the quality and hence the overall perception of the industry. Improper installations, poor quality of inverters and lack of reliable after sales service has created far more liabilities than assets for the industry.
- With no set benchmarks ,proven best practices, standards and processes, the industry is yet to see the maturity levels that other industries such as wind and thermal have achieved.
- Certain pockets of the government especially field level personnel such as Assistant Engineers (AE) are poorly trained on important aspects of solar rooftop such as net metering thus making it difficult for system integrators and customers to efficiently and smoothly complete projects.
- Battery backed systems pose great threats in its current form with frequent maintenance issues and hence should be implemented for projects where grid connectivity is absent or unreliable.
- TANGEDCO has shown reluctance to supporting growth of solar for fear of loss of revenue. This has led to delays in critical elements such as procurement of net meters.
- Implementation of a uniform policy of subsidy and net-metering for rooftop solar across all states will reduce confusion and increase investor confidence. Within this, Net Metering for industries should be taken up as high priority as without Net Metering, these entities stand to waste significant amounts of power during weekends
- To tackle issues of sub-standard quality of products and unreasonable pricing, a powerful body such as a Solar Association of Rootop Installers is necessary to maintain checks and balances on price and quality to protect all stakeholders.
- Energy as a service ( Renewable Energy Service Company-RESCO) is going to play a prominent role in financing solar rooftop services. However clear and firm guidelines on how LT customers will be able to sell electricity to the grid is needed for this model to succeed.
- Financial models such as BOO or BOOT though a great solution to the financing bottleneck, will be successful if there are:
- Clear net metering policies in place
- A credible certification mechanism to ensure credit worthiness of the consumer, perhaps credit rating from professional agencies for smaller businesses
- Longer tenure loans
- Common Service Centres (CRC's) that will cater to providing system installation, repair and maintenance services for a group of installers. This will help improve serviceability and also bring down overheads for companies.
- The government has removed capital subsidies for industrial and commercial sectors and maintained a subsidy cap of 15%( Rs 11,250 on a bench mark cost) for residential and institutional customers. Though a good move considering that subsidies were hurting solar companies, a transparent online adhar-card linked mechanism of payment to the beneficiary is very important to avoid delays.
- The government should consider providing depreciation benefit to residential customers and include a provision for removal of VAT on the solar installation. This will help increase the business case for solar tremendously.
- 10 banks have come forward to fund and support solar rooftop projects in the country. The secretary of MNRE has pledged that they will push banks if they fail to oblige on their commitments.
- A major concern for banks if the due-diligence for solar rooftop plants. One potential solution is to find ways to build a strong second-hand solar market so that banks have some exit route incase the customer defaults.
- Several installers quoted huge electricity bill savings ( Bill reduction from Rs 3500 to just Rs 20 for one such customer as expressed by a installer) upon installation of rooftop solar PV. What is needed is more aggressive awareness and campaigning amongst the funders and end customers to bring these success stories and also address common concerns to build credibility about this sector.
- Single or Partnership Owned Firms present a good opportunity due to quicker decision making and almost no hierarchical structures. Empirical evidence from prominent installers confirm this fact.
- The banking sector, especially private sector banks with large number of rural branches with uninterrupted energy requirements are a good sector especially because if adopted by one, it can quickly scale to the remaining. Same is the case for other similar sectors with a chain of outlets.
- Attractive value adds in the form of increased aesthetics and utility will make solar a desirable and sexy product to buy. This is still a fairly blue-ocean market that could propel the sector especially for higher net worth clients.
- A uniform, clear and coherent policy exclusively for rooftop solar especially in regards to net-metering and subsidy will remove several bottlenecks and make doing business easier.
- Proper awareness and knowledge building amongst the following three most important entities is crucial to the success of rooftop solar:
- Government entities such as SNA's, field personnel etc
- Funding Agencies such as banks and NBFC's
- End Consumers such as industries, hotels, builders and residential owners
- To bring together both of the above points to fruition and also ensure smooth functioning of this nascent growing market, an Association of Solar Rooftop Installers is vital. This will serve as a powerful body to regulate and provide necessary support to the various stakeholders of this industry.
UPDATE 10 AUG 2015
We had circulated the above details to all attendees, and they had got back with more suggestions / feedback. They follow: Suggestions and Comments by delegates of the Rooftop Solar Installer's Meet: 1. "On the standardization of the policies, I would like to propose that we add "Developing a national standard guideline for Rooftop Solar PV to the grid, vis-a-vis, technical requirements, interconnection regulations, limits (if any) on feeder capacity limitations along with technical justifications, and financial compensation for net exports to the grid." 2."On the subsidy front, I would like to suggest that subsidy be converted to income tax deductions for all private taxpayers installing RTSPV. The tax deductions should be akin to the AD benefits that can be availed by profit making entities and should come with the facility to accumulate losses until complete recovery. " 3."On the financing font, suggest that we include requiring banks/financial institutions to establish "Automatic Qualification Criteria" for existing customers for whom, upon application for financing, the banks will commit to automatically finance the RTSPV. The banks can determine apriori the risk level appetite for setting the bar for customers under AQC." 4. "Is it possible to have a one-stop database of reliable vendors for 'solar components equipments' to be shared in this forum? Also is it possible to have a list of solar integrators interested in EAI activities?" 5. "Like we proposed Customer Service Centres, we may also propose District Level Councils with all the Solar Operators in the District being members who can meet, discuss and take up the matters with the District officials with regards to quality of power, permissions, quality issues of roof top systems etc. This has added advantage because the District Level officials esp. Collector can be met and redressal obtained. It is also possible that the Collector if enthusiastic would help in organising things which enable the Solar industry to grow." Will be glad to get any other suggestions. Can be sent to narsi [at] eai [dot] inRooftop solar installation companies that had attended this meet
List of attendees
| Company Name | Location | Delegate |
| I Acharya | Chennai | R. Karthik |
| Vigor Solar Energy Pvt Ltd | Chennai | Sikkandar Amin |
| Moser Baer | Chennai | Prasanna Kuppuswamy |
| KCP Solar | Salem | P. Ashok Kumar |
| RPK Green | Chennai | Achal |
| Aarvee Energy | Tirupati | Ram Mohan Reddy |
| Arthana Green Energy | Madurai | A.Subramanian |
| Sterling Powergensys Ltd. | Mumbai | S.Venkata Subramanian, S.R Srinivasan M.Gowthaman |
| Nelsun Energy Solutions | Chennai | Sundararajan V |
| Renewable Energy IPP in US | Chennai | Dinesh |
| Incite Power and Analytics | Bangalore | J.Dhamodaran |
| Sun Shot Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | S Sudarshan |
| Hindustan Engineering College | Chennai | Prof. Frank Winston Jesudas |
| Aban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. | Chennai | V Vasantha Kumar |
| Roshan Solars | Bangalore | M .Gopal Prasad |
| Solar Town Energy Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | K.N Dhanush |
| Vagula Enterprises, Chennai | Chennai | A.Venkatasubramanian |
| Ravin Infraproject Pvt. Ltd. | Chennai | V Ganesh |
| REConnect Energy | Bangalore | Vishal Pandya |
| Shree Maha Vigneshwara Enterprize | Chennai | Dr K. Natarajan |
Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants – B S Arun Kumar, Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland
| The Developer-EPC meet featured a presentation on Inspection, Testing and Certification of PV Power Plants by Mr. B S Arun Kumar of TÜV Rheinland (India). He spoke about the need for testing and verification and provided numerous examples of preventable failures that occurred in solar plants. |
- Potentially Induced Degradation (PID) – It is an issue that has newly emerged and is predominant in Thin Film modules
- Causes loss of power (up to 20%) due to current leaking at higher voltages
- Temperature and humidity are the two main causes, with plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan (particularly the latter) experiencing module failure to this
- The temperature difference between day and night (up to 50°C in the morning in Rajasthan followed by a plunge at night) causes moisture condensation during the night on the panels which causes problems when the panels begin generating power in the morning
- Losses can be minimised by buying panels that are tested and certified as anti-PID
- Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) Corrosion –This is again an issue that is increasingly seen in Thin Film modules
- Causes failure of the module due to delamination of the glass covering caused by the reaction of sodium in the glass with the TCO layer in the presence of moisture
- A-Si and CdTe modules with substrate technology are affected the most
- Testing – A lot of testing equipment needs to be used to identify issues with solar plants as they work silently and give no easily noticeable indication of malfunction
- IV Tracer – Indicates health of the module through IV curve, insulation resistance, and current and voltage measurements of the string
- Infrared camera – This is very important as it identifies
- Hot spots – Caused by shadows falling on the panels. When a cell comes under a shadow it turns from a conductor into a resistor which causes heating leading to the cell burning out at which point the panel has to be replaced. Shadows are caused by nearby mountains, buildings, trees, inverter rooms, and in one case by the onsite lightning arrester
- Junction box burn out – Caused by loose connections and components unsuited to such voltage and current requirements
- Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) discolouration – EPA sheets that are not used within 8 days of being unpacked develop discolouration which affects power output
- Charanka park – During the rainy season it is flooded two months in the year
- Rajasthan has clay soil, and on one site the foundation for the panels sunk into the ground after the rains as clay becomes brittle once dry
- The bund of a lake was broken at a village in Rajasthan, flooding the nearby solar plant
ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners
PRESS RELEASE ITC, IndusInd Bank, Welspun, TCS, BPCL and Wipro among Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Multi-business conglomerate ITC, Textile leader Welspun, Oil major BPCL, IT majors TCS and Wipro and banking leader IndusInd Bank were amongst 14 large and small Indian corporates that bagged the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards for 2012. The awards were presented at the evening plenary of the Annual Summit of the Sustainable Business Leadership Forum, India’s first market development forum on Sustainability and Innovation, held in New Delhi on October 11, 2012. The Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards (www.ParivartanAwards.in), instituted by Sustainability Outlook, are a platform to uncover and recognize progressive corporates, service providers, and individuals whose efforts serve as catalyst for advancing sustainability in India. The winners were arrived at after a rigorous 3 step review and the finalists were judged by an eminent 7 member jury headed by Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Other jury members included Stuart L. Hart, S.C. Johnson Chair of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University, Bakul R. Patel, Board Director, Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Rita Menon, Chairperson -cum-Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Dr. Uddesh Kohli, Chairman Emeritus – Construction Industry Development Council and Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact, K.C. Mehra, Resident Director (Corporate), Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Bazmi Husain, Managing Director, ABB India. Dr. Kirit Parikh, renowned economist and Former Member Planning Commission and Chair of the Integrated Energy Policy Committee of the Planning Commission was the Chief Guest at the Awards evening . Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Parikh extolled the Indian industry leaders to imbibe sustainability as a core aspect in their business planning and highlighted that given the ever increasing scarcity of key energy and water resources, businesses will do themselves a disservice by viewing and architecting these as mere responses to compliance measures. Addressing the gathering via a recorded message, the Jury Chair Dr. S.Y. Quraishi stated that India is at a critical phase in its shift towards a low carbon economy. As Indian firms seek to establish themselves at the top of the global order, our ability to build thought leadership and solutions to address the unique sustainability challenges will be a key pre-requisite in that journey. He congratulated the award winners and hoped that such measures and innovations will motivate other industry participants to undertake similar initiatives thus paving a path for a resilient India. “The award winners have incorporated a number of innovative approaches for catalyzing sustainability in their operations and deserve recognition. These pioneering efforts need to be replicated at scale to shape the requisite impact within the Indian industry” said Rita Menon, Chairperson of IPTO and a member of the Awards Jury. Added Dr. Uddesh Kohli , Senior Advisor, UN Global Compact and also member of the Awards Jury, “It is exciting to see emergence of innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by Indian industry as they seek to shape resource oriented sustainability into their work-stream”. Unique features of this year’s awards included special recognition for firms leading in public disclosure of their non- financial performance on environment, social and governance parameters (based on years 2009-10 through 11-12). The top 100 companies in India (by market capitalization) were analyzed for determining the winners in this category. In addition, the awards also featured Sustainability Leaders of the Year category to recognize senior business leaders who have successfully introduced sustainability measures within their organizations and /or sectors they operate in. "We are extremely delighted to receive the Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2012. It is a matter of pride and priority for our company to strive for environmental sustainability and we are happy that our efforts are being recognized’’, said Niranjan Khatri, General Manager - Welcomenviron Initiatives of ITC Welcomgroup, a winner in the Corporate Sustainability Stewardship category. Parivartan 2012 unveiled truly unique initiatives to transition toward manufacturing, infrastructure, energy management and closed – loop businesses systems, amongst others. The winners of Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 across various categories are listed below. To learn more about the Parivartan Awards and the initiatives of the winners, please visit www.ParivartanAwards.in Winners of the 2012 Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2012 Category 1: Corporate Sustainability Stewardship Awards Innovation in Business Model and Strategy a. Shaping Brand Leveraging Sustainability – ITC Gardenia b. Empowering Value chains to be Sustainable – Reverse Logistics Resource Conservation Leadership a. Manufacturing – Welspun b. Infrastructure – Essar Steel c. Sustainable Spaces – IndusInd Bank Category 2: Sustainability Disclosure Leadership Award (Special recognition based on Public Disclosure by Top 100 companies by market capitalization) a. Most Consistent Disclosure: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) b. Most Consistent Disclosure by PSUs: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) c. Most Enhanced Disclosure: Wipro Category 3: Sustainability Innovation Award for Addressing Resource Challenges a. Energy Systems and Service: GIBSS b. Energy Management Tools: Volvo India c. Innovative Material and Recycling: Hanjer Biotech Energies d. Resource Conservation and Augmentation: NESPAL Air Water Heater Category 4: Sustainability Leader of the Year Award a. Sustainability Manager of the Year: Niranjan Khatri, ITC b. Sustainability Catalyst of the Year: Dr. Datta Roy, Dalkia Energy Services Media Contact: Shradha Kapur, ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in, +91.11.4050.7277 About the Organizer: Sustainability Outlook (www.SustainabilityOutlook.in) Sustainability Outlook is a market access, insight and collaboration platform tracking actions related towards Sustainability in the Indian economy. It proactively promotes dialogue and collates data to enable action by local, regional as well as global practitioners. Sustainability Outlook provides (a) in-depth business and policy analyses (b) updates on the market participants and latest trends on sustainability initiatives and (c) expert inputs on resource reduction and other abatement as well as adaptation measures being undertaken. Sustainability Outlook aims to be the bridge for shaping change in this thought process and spur innovation. Instituted by Sustainability Outlook http://www.ParivartanAwards.in http://www.SustainabilityOutlook.in ParivartanAwards@SustainabilityOutlook.in
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
Micelio E-mobility Community Meet-up in Hyderabad at T-Works!
2-6 PM, 12 Jul (Wednesday)
𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘳 - "With founders, innovators and enthusiasts alike, we look forward to a jam-packed day of invigorating conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas - all for the purpose of enabling the transition towards cleaner mobility for the future!"
Topic: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘝𝘴
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬:
Date: 12th July 2023, Wednesday
Time: 2 pm to 6 pm
Venue: T-Works, Hyderabad
Here's the registration link:
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
Narasimhan Santhanam Presentation at Chennai Solar EPC – Developer Meet, Jan 22, Le Meridien
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Taking Solar Forward – Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India
| Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director of Energy Alternatives India, made a presentation on Taking Solar Forward. He examined various pain points for Developers and EPCs. |
- Even experienced EPCs find that solar energy is an emerging field which requires knowledge sharing amongst players to enhance value provided and encourage adoption
- Developers need knowledge on the unique issues and challenges faced when implementing solar projects in India
- Clarity on Benefits (particularly for Rooftop)
- Falling F-i-Ts and Falling RoIs (for grid connected projects)
- Real cost of solar power
- How comprehensive are the quoted prices
- Technology & Performance Uncertainties
- What determines Thin Film vs. Crystalline
- Financing
- Wind continues to be easier to finance than solar
- Selecting the right EPC
- Competition
- Differentiation
- Establishing credibility in nascent industry
- Delivering high quality at shrinking margins
National Level Conference on Sustainable approaches to Sustainability – 19th February 2013 at Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai
Sustainable Approaches to Sustainability - An Interesting Program in Mumbai, 19 Feb 2013
Also check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Operation and Maintenance of Solar PV Projects – Workshop, 13th March, New Delhi
Unique Solar PV Workshop on 13th March, 2013, @ The Lalit, New Delhi
Operation and Maintenance is one of the most critical requirements of successfully and profitably operating power projects. Good O&M practices have an impact on both technical and financial performance of the projects while improving the life of the project. Given the increasing cost of electricity and equity, it is important to extract maximum value from the installed solar power projects to yield maximum financial returns for the investors. Increased focus on good quality O&M of installed projects also reduces the occurrence of project breakdown and hence prevent potential losses to the investors. For energy sources such as solar PV projets where there are no fuel costs, operation and maintenance plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of power generation thus bringing down the cost per unit of electricity generated. With an ever improving technology and better IT practices in the industry, it is important to keep updated with the latest practices of operating and maintaining solar farms and projects in the country. This conference is designed to specifically focus on the some of the key technical, financial and environmental issues of managing solar projects in the country. The event will see participation by India’s 100+ delegates & experts from across the globe. Please CLICK HERE to get the Event Brochure. This is a comprehensive program with the best informational resource on the latest solar project operations, maintenance, and reliability related topics. The superior line-up of speakers provides attendees with the best perspectives on the latest issues related to successful and profitable operation of solar power projects.Key Speakers
Mr. Yogesh Dabhade, CEO, Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Natarajan Mani, GM – Solutions Engineering, Tata Power Solar Mr. Amit Kaushik, Head (O&M), SunEdison Mr. Ivan Saha, President and Chief Technical Officer-Production, Vikram Solar Mr. Sanjay Narula, Associate Vice-President Solar Farms, Moser Baer Clean Energy Ltd Mr. Shrirang Bhandiwad, CEO, Inspira Martifer Mr. Sanjay Jain, General Manager, Birlasoft India Mr. Laks Sampath, Founder & Executive VP, NeoZyte * Mr. Chintan Shah, Senior Manager, AON Global *Discussion Topics
Assessing suitability of O&M independent service providers Monitoring, Measuring, Maintenance Maintenance of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Efficient System Designing: Impacts on Operation and Maintenance Learnings from O&M of Solar Projects: Case Studies Warranty Coverage: An Essential O&M Ingredient Applications of IT in O&M of Solar Power Plants Managing, Planning and Implementing O&M models Financial Issues and Risk Analysis In Solar SectorFor Delegate Registration
Mohammed Farooq Trainings Team Renewable Markets India E: farooq@solarquarter.com events@solarquarter.com T: 022 27717143/50 M: 91 9920917196 For Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities Mr. Vipul K E: vipul@solarquarter.com M: +91 9920917193RENERGY 2013 – Making it a Truly Landmark Renewable Energy Event
As many of you will be aware, EAI has been once more asked by TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) to coordinate RENERGY in 2013. RENERGY 2013 will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events - REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. The following are some of the key learnings 1. It is critical to look beyond the obvious sectors, such as solar, wind and biomass. 2. Within each sector, it is important to analyse the entire value chain. An exhibition becomes far more useful and productive when representatives from the entire value chain - and not just the prominent constituents - are present. 3. Sponsors need more than "logo visibility". 4. Public private partnership could be a very powerful combination 5. One way conferences are on their way out. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather delightful menu at RENERGY 2013, both at the exhibition and the conference. Exhibition At the exhibition, we will having a blend of the conventional with some exciting innovations.
- Innovation Pavilion - an exclusive pavilion to showcase innovations and inventions in renewable energy/cleantech
- Solution LaunchPad - A dedicated platform for companies with new products and solutions to promote their solutions to a dedicated audience
- Cool Announcements - A large exhibition with 250 exhibitors will not be easy to navigate. Effective and interesting announcements will ensure that visitors do not miss out on exciting stuff happening anywhere in the exhibition.
- Helpful Kiosks - We will be having automated and human-manned kiosks that will provide continuous directions and guidance to all the exhibitors and visitors.
RENERGY 2013 Conference – 3 Days of Exciting Renewable Energy Action, With a Focus on Solar
RENERGY 2013 Conference will take place at Chennai Trade Centre, May 9-11, 2013, and is organized by TEDA, part of the State Government of Tamil Nadu. RENERGY 2012 turned out to be a fine success, and in the process, all of us at EAI learnt a whole lot. Subsequently, EAI had conducted / coordinated three more large renewable energy events – REaction 2012, Wind Power India 2012 and RENERGY Coimbatore. We had exceptional learnings from these events, especially the conference portions of these, which we are incorporating in RENERGY 2013. With the above learnings, we have put together a rather productive schedule at RENERGY 2013 Conference. I am more excited about what we plan to do for the conference. Having been a speaker at over 50 conferences in the last three years, you could say I have seen my share of the good and the bad. What we have done is to take all the good things we have seen, eliminate inefficiencies, and inject some creative and innovative ideas. The result, in my opinion, will be a truly productive and excitement filled three days for the expected 2000 delegates Not just speaker sessions alone – the conference will be divided into three parts 1. Expert Panel Discussions & Interactions – Except for a few, we are doing away with presentations and instead having panel discussions and more time for Q&A. 2. Workshops – This, in my opinion, is the killer app. I have heard hundreds of delegates say that they wished to have more practical inputs from conferences. With this in mind, RENERGY 2013 will be the first event in the country that will have five detailed workshops – three on solar, one on biomass/biofuels and one on energy efficiency. 3. Customized Networking Sessions – The other common yearning for many delegates is that they need to have more interactions/networking with others. But conferences filled with speaker sessions can rarely accommodate long networking sessions. RENERGY 2013 has worked deliberately on the schedule with this mind, and we have now allocated three sessions (one each every day) exclusively for networking. We have conveniently scheduled the 2 hour networking sessions right after the lunch sessions, thus paving way for seamless networking during and after lunch. Further, we will have custom built modules during networking sessions to ensure that your networking can meet your needs of focused interactions and open discussions. 4. Research & Innovation – We have also seen significant interest shown by many participants to understand the latest trends and innovations in renewable energy and clean technology. With this in mind, we have designed an exclusive session for R&D and innovation that will showcase some exciting stuff being pioneered in renewable energy. 5. International Cleantech Collaboration - We have a separate session where collaboration partnerships between 20 different countries can be explored - especially USA, Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden), Australia, Japan, China and Middle East. The three days will be equally split among 1, 2 & 3, and the Research / Innovation theme will form a background during the entire three days, in addition to an exclusive session allotted to it. I invite you to be delegate at the conference. I can promise that this will be unlike any other renewable energy conference you had attended - anywhere in the world. More about the conference from here
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet, Chennai by EAI
Rooftop Solar Installer Meet Chennai
25 Jul 2015, Chennai, 10 AM to 2 PM
EAI is organizing a meet for rooftop solar installers. This is a discussion forum and not a conference or a seminar.Objective
| To share notes on the challenges faced by the rooftop solar installer sector, and provide inputs on what the rooftop solar industry expects from all the key stakeholders – OEMs, government, financial sector and end users. |
Summary and highlights will be shared with all key stakeholders, including MNRE and state nodal agencies.
.
Vital Stats
- Organized by: Solar Mango, a division of EAI
- Venue: Haddows Club. 6, Kushkumar road, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034. Tel (044 2821 6867). Can be accessed easily from Nungambakkam High Road, about 300 m from Sterling Road junction)
- Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Agenda
There will be brief presentations of the overall scenario in rooftop solar for about 30 minutes, and the rest of two and half hours will be spent in interactions and discussions.945 AM – 10 AM
Registration10 – 1010 AM
Welcome address1010 AM – 1030 AM
Presentation on the current status of rooftop solar in India and Tamil Nadu - by Narasimhan Santhanam of Solar Mango- Current installation stats for rooftop solar in India and TN
- Prominent rooftop solar installation - profile and details
- Key policies and regulations that have been brought about in the recent past by MNRE and many states
- Solar Mango's perspectives on the key drivers that can accelerate rooftop solar adoption in India
1030 AM -1115 AM
Quick inputs by 4-5 installers on the challenges they are facing and the successes they have had- Types of rooftop solar installations they have done
- Key success factors that helped them in these installations
- Critical bottlenecks and challenges that are stopping many prospects from implementing rooftop solar
- Changes in policies and regulations and other initiatives they would like to have
- Their thoughts on how the installer community can work together for mutual benefit
1115 AM -1130 AM
Thank God it’s Teatime1130 AM -1 PM
Interactive discussions on the way forward Discussions will be had on the following topics (more will be added based on the inputs in the previous sessions)- Net Metering
- Capital Subsidies
- SPO
- Awareness Creation
- BOO / PPA model and its effectiveness
- Red tape and permits
- Price benchmarks that are sustainable and are a win-win for all stakeholders
- Access to loans and Interest rates
1 PM – 2 PM Networking Lunch
2 PM – We all go home
Registration fee: Rs 750, towards cost of venue and food.
To register, talk to Muthukrishnan 09952910083, muthukrishnan@eai.inSamir Dash of Moser Baer Presentation at EAI Solar PV EPC – Developer Meet, Chennai, Jan 22
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013 Risk Evaluation of Solar PV Grid Farm – Samir Dash – Head, Project Engineering and Project Execution, Moser Baer Solar Limited
| Mr. Samir Dash, Head of Project Engineering and Project Execution at Moser Baer Solar, gave an in-depth look at the evaluation of risks associated with Solar PV Grid Farms to the audience at the Solar Developer-EPC meet. During his presentation he discussed issues faced by developers, warranties provided to them, and mitigation strategies. |
- India’s largest manufacturer and fabricator of Crystalline Silicon
- India’s only manufacturer of Thin Film
- Have commissioned 225 MW of PV farms in India that are larger than 1 MW
- First in India to commission a 30 MW project
- Project development
- Land selection
- Technology selection
- Contracting
- Warranties
- Regulatory and political
- Proper hand over
- Operations & Maintenance
- Long term contract for power offtake (critical for financers and developers)
- Due-diligence of beneficiary – Ability to pay is vital
- Secure bankable PPA – Payment security (LC, Escrow, Counter guarantee)
- Secure financial closure before zero date of project
- Obtain connectivity permission for transmission connectivity
- Proper solar radiation assessment through Meteonorm/Ground measurement data and Probability of Exceedance (P50, P70,P90) analysis by experts which is tied to financial forecasts
- Close proximity to utility substation (projects suffer delay in obtaining transmission lines, as well as energy losses with increase in transmission line length)
- Preference for government land especially for projects more than 10 MW (private land often requires Non Agricultural certification leading to delays in fund disbursements and project commencement)
- Expert opinion on nature of soil (corrosiveness, rockiness) which would help in ascertaining cost of foundations
- Studying land contour(shape, flood level, drainage) to reduce project cost and execution time
- Choose proven technology in Indian conditions
- Choose Tier 1 make PV modules and Inverters
- Present trend – While Thin-Film modules were previously preferred due to greater power output (by 7%) in Indian conditions, Crystalline Silicon now has the edge due to pricing
- Central Inverters are preferred due to lower cost/watt in megawatt scale projects
- Fixed tilt – Projects utilising Crystalline Silicon modules are using Fixed tilt mounting as a simpler arrangement
- Choose leading EPC players on turnkey basis
- This has a significant impact, from proper project documentation to choice of equipment
- Enforce stringent Project Qualification Requirement (PQR) for eligibility to mitigate execution capability risk
- Obtain EPC engineering review by 3rd party reputed engineering consultant to provide assurances to various stakeholders such as investors/bankers
- Well defined contracts with clear scope
- Turnkey contracts
- Division of contracts (import, domestic, service, civil) for tax optimisation
- Currency fluctuation hedging by developer (rather than EPC/contractor) to reduce project cost
- Suitable Liquidated Damages (LD) on completion as well as on performance with clearly defined parameters
- Overall System – 1 year defect liability period (DLP) from the EPC for workmanship (wear beyond normal weathering, defects, material flaws)
- Equipment warranties received from OEMs should be transferred to client
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- 10 year workmanship warranty
- 25 year linear power warranty (80% output)
- Inverters
- 5 year manufacturer warranty with an optional extension to 12 years
- Solar Modules (OEM standard)
- Performance Ratio warranties
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Absolute Generation – This might be preferred by the developer’s financer but it amounts to the EPC being held responsible for solar radiation. In such cases the EPC might offer a guarantee based on P90 analysis
- Availability – This is has the drawback of impact being different depending on whether the plant is unavailable during peak or off peak hours
- Performance Ratio – Due to the above reasons, performance ratio with weather correction and instrument error tolerance is now the accepted basis for deciding warranties
- Duration – During first year of plant operation (DLP) and renewable thereafter with a valid O&M contract
- Starting date – From PAT or within 3 months which ever earlier
- Minimum PR – 5% below simulated PR i.e. 71% to account for instrument error tolerance
- Degradation – As per PV manufacturer (1%)
- Compensation – Either addition of modules to make up for the deficit in output or the present value of 25 year loss in generation at the feed-in tariff
- The warranty will include exclusions for
- Grid outage
- Poor grid quality
- Force majeure conditions
- Down time due to theft/vandalism
- More than one string of modules performing below manufacturer warranty
- Inverter malfunction due to defects that are covered under OEM scope
- Plant warranties can based on different parameters
- Change in government policies, additional taxes (such as anti-dumping duties)
- Payment defaults
- Restrictions on ownership
- Political instability
- Threats to expensive solar power from the present financial condition of state electricity boards
- Right of Way for transmission lines
- Local political trouble (asking for employment and contract)
- Mechanical completion test
- Performance test after inverter commissioning and trial operation
- Performance test after operating for two years (to check for panel and other component degradation)
- Recommended and mandatory spares inventory (particularly for the inverter)
- Central monitoring of plant and regular monitoring of plant (at string level using SCADA)
- SLA with Inverter OEM for attending to defects
- Regular 3rd party test for nominal power output of PV modules to check for panel degradation
- Deploy 3rd generation preventive and predictive maintenance plan
- Proper cleaning and quality of water – ground water is usually used for cleaning the panels. Its chemical composition, suspended solids, etc., should be analysed and manufacturer recommendation for use of water should be obtained
- Provide for inverter replacement at end of 12th year
Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013 – Jan 31 Deadline for Nominations
Nominations Open: Sankalp Social Enterprise Awards 2013
Apply NOW – Download Nomination Form
Deadline Extended – January 31, 2013 Key Benefits Key benefits include: Recognition at the Sankalp+Unconvention Summit 2013, Access to investors, mentors and support network, access to residential bootcamp, pro bono design, legal and media/communications advisory, and much more. Click to view all benefits here. Eligibility Criteria Sankalp invites applications from “for-profit” enterprises that use market based solutions to meet developmental outcomes. Emerging business models that are sustainable and scalable, that operate in one of the 5 high impact sectors that Sankalp focuses on and have been in operation for at least 6 months prior to the date of application are eligible to apply 1. Emerging Enterprise Criteria 6 months to 5 years in operation (Prior to the date of application) Or Less than INR 10 Crores revenue Or Less than 100 employees 2. Legal status of the company- Pvt. Ltd Company
- Sole Proprietorship
- Partnership (includes Ltd. Liability Partnership)
- Producer’s company (only if it has a Pvt. Ltd. Subsidiary)
- Agriculture, Food and Rural Business
- Clean Energy/Clean Technology
- Education and Vocational Training
- Health, Water and Sanitation
- Technology for Development
Small Wind Conference @ Wind Power India, Chennai, Nov 28-30 2012
Moving in tandem with large wind turbines, the global small wind market is also taking a big leap and has recorded an increasing growth in the past few years. By the end of 2010, more than 650,000 small wind turbines had been installed globally, which generated 443 MW of cumulative installed capacity. The global market forecast up to 2020 expects the cumulative capacity to grow close to 4,000 MW, taking the annual capacity addition of small wind turbines to 700 MW in 2020. In India, the progress of small wind segment has gone mostly unnoticed compared to that of large wind. But the future holds tremendous promise for the following reasons:
- There is a growing realisation that small wind and hybrid systems need to supplement large wind and other RE technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
- New small wind policy announced by MNRE in 2010 has addressed major long-standing concerns, paving the way for sustained growth of the segment.
- While the current installed base for small wind turbine and hybrid systems in India is negligible, the RE micro-generation potential is about 83,000 MW (as estimated by WISE).
- To get a holistic understanding of the small wind market, policy and regulatory framework.
- Participation in major technological, policy, and financial deliberations leading to policy advocacy.
- One-on-one networking opportunity with over 100+ delegates in this side event and 1000 delegates in the main event, including policy makers, regulators, manufacturers, service providers, consultants and potential investors.
- Opportunity to showcase your products and capabilities in the exhibition that will attract over 10,000 business visitors
- Small wind turbine manufacturers
- Small wind power consultants and project contractors
- Designers, service providers, component manufacturers
- Civil society groups working in urban areas, NGOs
- Academicians and researchers
- Investors
Solar Developer – EPC Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
A Solar Meet You SHOULD NOT Miss if You are a Developer or an EPC! Update: The meet was considered good quite and successful. The over 200 participants from about 150 companies did useful networking in identifying prospective EPCs, develelopers, support providers and equipment suppliers. Based on the inputs and suggestions from this meet, we are organizing a larger networking event on Mar 22 at Chennai at Le Meridien, Details are available here. EAI, India’s leading renewable energy support firm, is organizing a unique meet between EPCs and Developers of solar PV power plants. This is intended to be a facilitating/networking meet for these two key stakeholder segments, especially given that two states (AP and TN) will begin allotting utility scale SPV projects soon. And given that many states in India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat & Kerala have announced ambitious rooftop plans. The delegates, about 150 focussed industry professionals comprising project heads, top management and decision makers, will belong to both rooftop solar PV and grid connected solar PV segments. The event will have a five-hour long, focussed networking session that will provide a rare opportunity for solar developers, EPCs and other key solar sector stakeholders to interact with many important stakeholders in a professional setting. See details on the Networking Session below.
This will be held at Chennai, Jan 22 @ the Le Meridien hotel, just 2 Kms from the airport.
This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, This meet will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country's three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 - 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 - 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 - 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs and developers in the country.
Energetica India is the media partner for this event. iAcharya / Refex Energy will be one of the key sponsors for the event. (Thank you guys!)
Prominent Companies
The prominent companies at the event included the following: Refex (EPC), iAcharya (EPC, training support), Moser Baer (developer), L&T (EPC), Sun Edison (developer & EPC), Jinko Solar (cells & modules), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Enfinity (EPC), SPI Group (developer), Sterling & Wilson (EPC), Bhilwara Green Energy (developer), Swelect (developer), Enercon (Inverter/EPC), OPG (developer), Soltech (EPC), TUV (testing & certification), Lanco (EPC/Developer), Powergear (EPC), Bonfiglioli (inverter), IndoSolar (integrated player), Abengoa (developer), juwi (EPC), Bharat Light & Power (developer), Sujana (developer), Rensol (Channel partner for Bosch, EPC), SMA Solar (Inverter), Tata Solar (EPC / Developer), ABB (components), Reliance Solar (EPC/developer), Power One (inverter), Vikram Solar (Panels & EPC), Daiwik Energy, iPLON (monitoring systems), UL (certification and standards), Infinite ERCAM (Tracking solutions) , SERL (developer), Switch (Inverter), Chemtrols (EPC), Welspun (developer), Green Infra (IPP/developer), Vega Systems (monitoring systems), Karomi (power plant process automation), Sri City (infrastructure), CPCL (developer), Perfect Solar Systems (EPC for rooftops), CES (developer/EPC), Naveen Future Solar (solar products), MPSPL (developer), Greenlight Solar (EPC/Developer), Asian Solar Systems (developer), Mahendra Solar Solutions (developer/EPC), Gadhia Solar (EPC), Solar Semiconductor (panels & EPC), CRISIL (financial support), Saint Gobain (component supplier), Phocos (EPC/developer), Evergreen Solar Systems (EPC), Recurrent Energy (developer), Siemens (Inverter), Access Solar (Developer), Titan Solar Systems (developer), Photon Energy (panels & EPC), Mitra Solar (developer), BD Engineers (EPC), RPPL (EPC), DF Power System (Developer), Dasa Infra (EPC), Tech1, Procap, Net labs, Solar Integrated Power Solution, Abengoa (developer), GK Industrial, Sri Anjani Powergen, Vangler, Ganges International, Sun Industrial (EPC), Vishnu Energy, Electronika, Deccan Energy (EPC/Developer), Bosch (Cells, panels), Artha Energy, Advolt Energy Resources, Ravano Solar (EPC), Hooks & Electronics, GS Steel Alloys (Raw Materials), Mgen Power, Navsar Holdings, Primex Group, Adcom India, Sphere Technology Alliance, Ceyon Power, GPR Power (EPC & developers), Century Solar (EPC), Ibex Energy, Lester, RE Connect (REC & Support Services), NEST Group, MARG (Infrastructure support), Energetic Consulting, Universys, Essear Technologies, Topaz Impex Inc, Efaces, South Eastern, Trend Victory, Inspira Martifer Solar Ltd, MGVS Cotton Works, Tamilnadu Telecommunications, India, Spac Power Engineering, Apollo Renewable Energy, Power Electronics India, World Wide Logistics, Fluid Line System, Sri Anjani Powergen, Nivedha Software, Nextech Electronics, Sree Lalitha Plastic Industries, Pentury Solar Projects, Divya Tooling Technology, Surana Group, Pioneer Group, Goodsun, Sun Industries (Developer), Amtex Power, Shrijee Heavy Projects, Green Secure Energy, Sunmax Energy Sys, Charted Finance, Arunachala Impex, Indira Industries, Olympia Infratech, Unique Micro Computers, Rethink Energy, Land Marvels Homes, Le Spirit, Orissa Power Consortium, GRT Group, Ultratech, Renault Nissan, Praddin Energy, Adhiev Nanopv, Alex Green Energy Pvt. Limited, Bhansali Cables & Conductors Pvt. Ltd, Bhari Industrial Promoters Pvt. Ltd & Eta Powergen, Blo Pak, Borg Energy, Chennai, Bysani Ventures India Pvt Ltd, Canco Business Machines, Cirus Solar, Conergy Energy Systems India Pvt. Ltd, Consul Consolidated Private Limited, Crew Energy India(P) Ltd, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, Earthcare, Edify Kids, Eki Energy Services Ltd, Energy & Fuel Users Association Of India, Enerparc Energy Pvt. Ltd, Ernst & Young Private Limited, Focal Energy, Ge Power Conversion, Great Lakes I9nstitute Of Management, Greencom, Hild Energy Private Limited, Hitachi Nest Control Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indo-Italian Chamber, Infosys Technologies Limited, Inodaya Solar, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jayaraj Group Of Companies, M M Forgings Limited, Network Systems, Network Systems & Technologies (P) Ltd, Nsl Gp, Ntpc Ltd Rstps, Nuziveedu Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Oasys Energytech, Optimal Power Solutions, Optisol, Panchabuta-Cleantech & Renewable Energy In India, Pondy Oxides & Chemicals Ltd, Ram Lakshman Residency, Rays Engineers, Real Integrators Solar Energy, Shri Vishnu Engineering, Shriram Epc Ltd, Spaceage Solar Energy, Nellore, Sri Sai Plastotech, Star Agro Marine Exports Pvt. Ltd, Startling Solar, Surya Orugally Green Power Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Control, Trina Solar, V.K.V Real Estates (P) Ltd, Velstand, Vesuvian Constructions, Windcare India Pvt Ltd, Yuktha Energy Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Zeus Infra Who will benefit? We expect over 200 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS supplieres and financing community as well. Benefits to Developers Developers will get to know critical insights from other developers and EPCs on the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants. They will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place. Benefits to EPCs For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community. It is also an excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community. Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers The suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments - EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session, see below for more details on this.Expert Insight Session
Insights in the presentation session will be shared by the following companies, among others 10 AM - 12 Noon- L&T on Challenges in Solar Power Plant Implementation
- GK Ramakrishnan - Head Strategic Sourcing and Product Development, Solar - L&T Constructions
- Theme - Solar Power Scenario – Opportunities, Challenges and Pitfalls for a new Developer
- Sun Edison on Measuring Performance of Power Plants Using Analytics
- Amit Kaushik - SunEdison
- Theme - Solar Power Plant Performance Measurement and Analytics
- TUVon Importance of Testing & Certifications for Solar Power Plant Performance and Making it Investor Friendly
- B.S.Arun kumar - Senior Manager, TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd
- Theme - Mitigate risks in Solar PV power plants
- Moser Baer on critical factors that solar power plant developers should consider
- Samir Dash - Projects Specialist, Moser Baer
- Theme - Solar Farm Developers Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Refex Energy will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Anil Jain - Managing Director, Refex Energy
- Theme - EPC Best Practices for Solar Power Plants that are Built to Last
- SPI Group on a prospective developer's perspectives will present case studies of key drivers that resulted in their high performance solar power plants
- Pramodh - SPI Group
- Theme - What developers are looking for from EPCs
- Summary of key perspectives from developers/prospective developers - will include experiences and case studies. We will have 3 prominent developers share their insights on developing solar power plants and what they expect from the EPCs
- Perspectives for both grid connected and rooftop solar PV power plants
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented
- Realistic returns developers can expect from solar power plants
- Avenues for raising finance - challenges & potential for raising finance from Indian and foreign investors
- Critical things to look for while selecting an EPC
- Importance of supporting/enhancing systems such as trackers, monitoring solutions, process automation and more
- Their perspectives on the JNNSM Phase II and the various state solar policies
- Summary of key insights from prominent EPCs who have implemented MW scale as well as Rooftop Solar power plants. They will share their insights on what developers should keep in mind while implementing SPV power plants and the important dos-and-donts. Insights will also be provided on avenues for financing the project.
- Key learnings from the power plants they have implemented - both rooftop and grid connected
- Key technology and operational challenges while implementing solar power plants
- Aspects that can result in time and cost overruns
- Connecting to the grid - challenges in coordinating with the state utility
- Testing and certifications while implementing solar power projects, and methods and processes for testing
- 12 Noon - 130 PM - Interactive session. Rather than a traditional Q&A Session, this will be a highly detailed and interactive session in which many other experts and professionals will get an opportunity to share their inputs.
Networking & Interaction Session
- 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Lunch followed by a focussed networking session that will provide exceptional opportunities for both EPCs and developers to find answers and solutions from multiple entities, under one roof.
- NOTE: Names and brief backgrounds of all the companies that had sent their profiles to us will be announced before the networking session begins. This will ensure that every participant gets excellent mileage and focussed networking opportunities.
- We will also be sending the names of the participating companies to all the delegates to ensure high value interactions
The Networking Session Is the Real Reason for You to be Here
- All delegates will be quickly introduced so that everyone gets highlighted and has an opportunity to interact with other relevant delegates
- Based on prior inputs/profiles about requirements, EAI will assist in quickly matching interested parties with each other
- All arrangements will be made such that during the five hours of networking, every one is able to do optimal and high quality networking.
The fee per delegate is Rs 6000, and this covers the entire program, lunch & coffee.
Payment Methods Rs 6000 can be paid in the following waysBy Bankwire Transfer
Transfer to - Account Number: 921357524; Account Name - Clixoo Solutions Private Limited; Bank Name/Address - Indian Bank, Uthamar Gandhi Salai, Chennai 600034, Tamilnadu, India SWIFT Code: IDIBINBBMAS; IFSC - IDIB000N061By Cheque/ DD
In favor of Clixoo Solutions Private Limited, Send the cheque to: C/O Clixoo Solutions Private Limited A5C, Anugraha Apartments (Next to Taj Coromandel Hotel) No 41, Nungambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam Chennai – 600034, Tamilnadu, IndiaPay Online
| Indian Currency
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Solar Developer – EPC – Financiers Networking Meet for Solar PV Power Plants, Chennai, Mar 22, 2013
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India’s Largest Meet for the 3 Key Stakeholders in Solar PV Power Plants
400 delegates expected. The Whos Who of Solar EPCs and Developers Will be Here
| Vital Statistics | ||||
| Expected # of delegates | ||||
Quick Agenda (see detailed agenda further below)
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
- Bihag Mehta – Sgurr Energy (technical perspectives – due diligence of solar PV power plants)
- Navratan Kataria – Sterling & Wilson (technical perspectives – best practices for SPV power plants)
- Udayadittya Shome – Juwi (techno-commercial perspectives, realistic expectations on risk mitigations and performance of SPV power plants)
- Pashupathy Gopalan – Sun Edison (top management business & policy perspectives)
- Vivek Chaturvedi – Moser Baer* (top management business & policy perspectives)
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session
- 1 PM - 2 PM – Lunch Networking
- 2 PM - 215 PM – Special Address by Sudeep Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, TEDA
- 215PM – 6:00 PM : Focussed Networking
A 5 hour Detailed and Productive Networking Session During the 1st Meet[/caption]
This will be held at Chennai, Mar 22, FRIDAY @ the Le Meridien Hotel, just 2 Kms from the Chennai airport
Prominent Developers, EPC & Finiaciers of this Meet @ March22, Le Meridien
Prominent Developers Lanco SunEdison Welspun Waaree Moser Baer Voltech Artha Energy Madhav Infra Marigold Steel Raasi Green
Prominent EPCs L&T Sterling & Wilson Juwi Vikram Solar Conergy Refex Mahindra EPC Gamesa Surana Zynergy
Prominent Financial Institutions IDBI Bank SBI Capital Tata Cleantech Capital Olympus Capital ICICI SWIT Capital
Over 400 delegates, representing EPCs, developers, financial investors, panel and BoS suppliers and other support providers will be participating in this event. Prominent companies that will be participating include the following
A
Aarthi Engineering Works Abacus Infomedia ABB Ltd Accurate Products Corporation Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Futuristic Solutions AEGPS AEON Agile Europe s.r.o. Akshaya Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd Amitoj Textiles Limited Aniron Solatricity Artha Energy Resources Aruntec Asterisk Contractors Asterix Energy Saving Solutions Attentive Development Partners Auroville Consulting Avani Energy and Resources Pvt. Ltd. Ayngaran City Developer
B
Balaji Pressure Vessels Ltd Bangalore Best Real Estate Bandaru Power Projects Barix Investment Corp Beevee Infra Projects Private Limited Bhanodayam Industries Bird India BLP Bureau Veritas Business Line
C
C.R.I. Pumps Private Limited Charapal Renewables Cellarstone India Pvt Ltd Chola Power Private Limited Cirrus Biopower Conergy Core CarbonX CREW Energy (I) Pvt Ltd Cuffs & Collars Cygnus Solar
D
Daylightenergy Solutions Pvt Ltd Daystar Solar Deccan Developers, Secunderabad Development Consultants Private Limited DMS Property Developers Dupont
E
EagleView Pvt Ltd EAI
ElectroSun Emerging Investments Pvt Ltd EnAsia Financials Enerparc Esvin Advanced Technologies Ltd ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. EuroCorp Power Solutions Evergreen Financial Investments Evergreen Infotech Evolmatic Machineries Evolve IndiaF
Finestar Capital Advisors Finnacle Development Trust Firefly Clean Energy Solutions FSCT Future SunSource
G
Gamesa Wind Turbine Gayatri Wind Techniques GE Power Conversion General – Carbon Genu Soft Genus Power Infrastructure Ltd. GKIPL Golden Industries Pvt Ltd Green Earth Real Estate Green Wealth Agro India Ltd Greentech Energy Components Pvt Ltd GRT Jewellers Pvt. Ltd. Grundfos Pumps India Pvt Ltd Grupotec
H
HCL Heliomatic Hurix Investments
I
iAcharya
I&S AssociatesIDBI
Indian Solar Power Developer Association Indostar Solar Indowind Infinite ERCAM Infraca Exploration Co. Ltd Integrated Intelligent Solutions & Technologies (P) Ltd. BangaloreJ
Jakson Engineers
Janaki Ammal Educational Trust Jayalakshmi Constructions Jinko Solar JMFI Capital JMN Event Management Juwi Renewable EnergyK
Kaymate Constructions
KCP Solar Kiwi Eco Vision KRNS Architects & Designers Kundan Industries LimitedL
L & T
Lalith Sustainable Energies Lanco Group Luna Bearings, Automation & Power TransmissionM
M/s.Vedaadithya Energy Private Limited
Madhav Infra Projects Pvt Ltd. Mahaveer Foundation Mahindra EPC Mahindra Satyam Majestic Solar Manjunadha Solar Energy Maple Vertical Investments Marigold Steel & Power Private Limited Mastercraft Designers Masteric Solar Max Services Meridian Solar Mestaltz GmbH Metric Telecom Networks Minda Group ML Group Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd Movement for Green RevolutionN
Nachas Wind Energy Pvt Ltd
Nandha Developers Ltd Nano PV Voltech Solar Pvt Ltd NEPC Netlabs New American Tech Corp NM Tronics India Pvt. Ltd. Nordic (India) Solutions Pvt Ltd NTTF Nutan Nirman (P) LimitedO
Olympus Capital Holdings Asia
Om Green Energy Products Omne Agate Systems Pvt. Ltd.P
Panchabuta
PG Power Systems Poseidon Solar Service Private Limited Power Plus Consultants PowerGear Limited Power Shine Energy Powerone Microsystems Pvt Ltd Powertronix Priam Constructions Pvt Ltd Prime Technologies Procap Financial Services Protrol Process ControlR
Raasi Green
Ravano Green Power Real Integrator Solar Energy Ready Solar and LED Redsun Sustainables Refex ReGen PowertechRenen Power
Renewable Consulting India Ltd Ravano Green Power RK Solar Rm Solar RR Industries LtdS
Safola Pharma
Safex Industries Saint Gobain Samkrish Machine Tools SBI Capital Schneider SE.Technologies Sgurr Energy Shankar Foods & Power Shree H-Two Tech Siemens Ltd SMA Solar Solar Quarter Solar Semiconductor Solaris Renergy Pvt Ltd South Indian Renewables Spacious Architects Spear Solar Developers Spring Solar SPV Mag SRC Green Power Private Limited Sree Anjani Powergen Pvt Ltd Sree Devi Developers Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Chitfunds Sri Munipachaiappan Textiles Sripal Exports Star Power Systems Star Solar Sterling & Wilson Stion Corp SUNLIT Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd Sun & Wind Futcorp Sun Edison Sun Senz SunPower Heat & Power Sunrise Eco Systems Surana Ventures Surekha Electronics Services Pvt Ltd Surya Shakti Urja Udyoga Limited SWIT Capital Switch Synergy (Syntrak)T
Tata Cleantech Capital
Techline Green TEDA Trade Link Services Trendz Solar Trident Trading & Investments Trina Solar Triumph Electronics TÜV Rheinland (India) Pvt. Ltd. TVS Dynamic Global Freight Services LimitedU
UL
Ulaginoli Energy Solutions Universal Auto Works University Of Petroleum & Energy Studies Universys EnergyV
Vedmedia Pvt Ltd
Vijaya Durga CREO Industries Vikram Solar VoltechW
Waaree
WelspunX
Xcellent Publishing
Xmold Polymers Xstrata TechnologiesY
Yokogawa India Limited
Z
Zynergy
View the participants of the Earlier meet.This one-day meet will provide critical inputs and EPC networking opportunities for prospective solar power plant developers, Will be especially useful for those keen on the TN and AP policies as the action will start soon for these two. The meet is however intended for developers & EPCs for the entire country.
EAI coordinated the country’s three largest and most productive renewable energy conferences last year (RENERGY 2012 – 1300 delegates, REaction 2012 – 1500 delegates and Wind Power India 2012 – 800 delegates). EAI will ensure that the EPC-Developer-Financier Meet will become the most useful and productive meet for all the key stakeholders in this fast-growing industry. You will be able to interact and network with some of the most prominent EPCs, developers, equipment suppliers and financial investors in the country.
EPCs, Developers, Panel & BoS Suppliers, Support Providers - all of them benefited tremendously from the 1st meet
Who will benefit?
We expect over 400 delegates in all at the event – many prominent EPCs and developers, as well as from the panels/BoS suppliers, financing community, consulting firms, and certification companies. This will be the SINGLE LARGEST EPC-DEVELOPER MEET FOR SOLAR in India
Benefits to Developers
- Will get to know critical insights on SPV power plant development from other developers and EPCs
- Understand the dos-and-donts while implementing solar power plants.
- Will also be able to network with many prominent EPCs at one place.
Benefits to EPCs
- For EPCs, this is an important opportunity to understand the key aspirations and concerns of the developer community.
- An excellent opportunity for them to build a good contact network with the developer community.
Benefits to Panel & Balance of System Suppliers
- The panel and BoS suppliers get to network with many prominent companies from their main customer segments – EPCs and power plant developers – all at one place, in just 6 hours.
- Meet prospective channel partners and marketing agents
- Understand the pain points and aspirations of developers and EPCs in the context of panels and BoS
[See excerpts from the first meet - Narasimhan Santhanam - EAI, Samir Dash - Moser Baer, GK Ramakrishnan - L&T, Pramodh - SPI, Amit Kaushik - Sun Edison, Arun Kumar - TUI & Anil Jain - Refex Energy]
Detailed Agenda
The goal behind this event is critical intelligence & extensive interactions, to drive critical value for both developers and EPC. The agenda has been derived based on these goals.
Speeches and presentations will be kept to a minimum and networking/interactions is the key agenda. The most important part of this event is the 5-hour long networking session. See below for more details on this.
- 10 AM – 11.30 AM : Expert Insight Session
We have three detailed expert techno-commercial presentations from technical and operational experts, and two brief business perspective presentations from top management professionals in this session.
Technical expert presentations will be made by the following companies
- Bihag Mehta from Sgurr Energy will provide insights on the following
- Technical & operational dos and don’ts for solar power plant developers
- Importance of due diligence and validation
- Lessons learnt from Sgurr’s worldwide experiences in implementing solar power plants
- Udayadittya Shome from Juwi on what can be realistically expected from EPCs
- Uday will bring forth insights on what developers can realistically expect from EPCs in terms of risk mitigation and performance assurances. This is a critical topic, more so in today’s context where the EPCs are relied upon for pretty much every aspect of the solar power plants owing to the inexperience/lack of awareness in the developer segment.
- Navratan Kataria from Sterling & Wilson on best practices for a high performance solar power plant
- Navrataran would like to have as much time as possible answering questions on best of breed practices for solar PV power plants. His inputs and insights will be based on the two decades of experience he has in solar PV as well as the work being done by Sterling & Wilson
- Business perspectives will be provided by top management from India’s two pioneering solar firms
- Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer
- Pashupathy Gopalan, Managing Director, of MEMC's and Sun Edison's South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa operations
- 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM : Interactive session – This session will comprise Q&A in which over 20 different experts will participate, in addition to the speakers.
- 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM : Networking Lunch – Special Arrangements will be made such that you are able to use the lunch duration networking productively
- 2:00 PM – 215 PM – Special address by Sudeep Jain, IAS, Chairman & MD, TEDA. He will provide his perspectives on the Tamil Nadu and national solar policies.
- 2:15 – 6 PM – Customised Networking. This is the core part of the program. Arrangements have been made to ensure that each of you is able to network with as many relevant delegates as possible. The networking sessions will include three modules
- Networking with specific experts/expert companies pre-identified by EAI
- Networking with specific professionals based on the profiles of companies available at the registration counter
- Networking with specific delegates based on delegate identification – each delegate will be provided with an identification placard that will enable others to easily understand what your company does.
6 PM – Conclusion, and we all go home.
About the Experts
Solar Veterans from three reputed Companies
At the Forefront of the Grid-Connected Solar PV movement in India
Share their Expertise at the event
Udayadittya Shome– Vice-President,Juwi Renewable Energy: 10 AM – 1030 AM
Working with a global leader in solar power plant development, Uday brings over 20 years of technical and commercial experience in all the aspects of solar PV power plants. Now, that’s critical experience few in the country have today. Uday brings a unique confluence of critical expertise in the solar PV field – technical, commercial, certifications/approvals, business development and entrepreneurship.Bihag Mehta- Manager - Renewable Advisory,SgurrEnergy:1030 AM – 11 AM
Sgurr Energy is a globally respected technical consultant for renewable energy projects. Bihag Mehta and his company bring forth an expertise that is critical for a nascent industry such as solar PV – technical validation and due diligence of all aspects of the solar PV power plants. Sgurr Energy has assessed over 85 GW of renewable energy developments internationally. When you consider that the worldwide installation of renewable is only about 500 GW, that’s an awesome 20% of the total global installations. Sgurr’s clients include utilities, financiers, EPCs and developers. This diversity of client sectors enables them to provide perspectives based on all these critical sectors.NavratanKatariya - AVP - Solar EPC,Sterling & Wilson:11 AM - 1130 AM
Working with one of the most respected names in the Indian EPC sector, Navratan has been one of the most sought after experts in the Indian solar sector, mainly for his first-hand knowledge of what works and what does not work for solar PV in India. Sterling & Wilson is one of the most respected EPCs in India, and for a reason. They are quite selective about their projects, because of their commitment and focus on delivering very high quality – characteristics that are critical for an industry in its early stages. [raw] This is the second such event organized by EAI. The first event, organized on Jan 22, was a big success with over 200 important stakeholders attending the event. The first event was a trial event put together in just seven days, to understand the needs of the stakeholders. The inputs and learning from the first event will be used fully for the second event, making it even more productive and powerful. [/raw]Registration form - Solar Developers, EPC & Investors Meet
[formbuilder:2] For those specifically interested in getting comprehensive intelligence on rooftop solar, you might want to check out Solar MangoSolar in Telangana – Hyderabad Conference by EcoSure, Sep 7.
Solar in Telangana Conference
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------07th September 2015 - 9.30 AM to 6.30 PM
Hotel Fortune Manohar, Near Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Listen to Experts on Opportunities & Challenges for Solar Power Growth in Telangana
This conference from Eco Sure, with a focus on grid connected, utility scale solar power plants, will be a key catalyst in facilitating solar PV adoption in Telangana,
Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Tentative Agenda
| Hotel Fortune Manohar, Hyderabad. 7 Sep 930-630 | |
| 9:00-9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9.30–10.30 AM | Inaugural Session - Top bureaucrats’ perspectives on how solar is doing in India and Telangana in particular
|
10.45 - 12.00 AM Key Trends in Solar in Telangana, with Focus on Utility-scale Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
Themes- Total installed capacity
- Prominent installers
- Key central and state government allocations
- Trends in installations next 2 years
- Top management perspectives on status and trends
- Mr. Bethapudi - IAS Retd.
- Mr. Srirama Raju – Former GM- NREDCAP – WINSOL Pvt Ltd., MD
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam - Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
12.00 PM -13.00 PM Key Challenges for Solar Developers
Themes Challenges that will be addressed- Infra Challenges
- Evacuation Infra
- Land Acquisition
- Regulatory Challenges
- Financial Challenges
- Low Tariffs
- High Interest Rates
- Difficulty in Financial Closure
- Mr. Mantha Subrahmaniyam – MD – UKM Solar
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, Solar Mango
13.00 PM– 13.45 PM Short presentations from
- Mr. Hariharan – Director – Cargomen Logistics will present a PPT on Logistics role in RE, their mission and vision etc.
- Mr. Shekar – Director – Surabhi Institute of RE will present a PPT on Skilled manpower requirement, management and Training courses offered by them
- Mr. Satish – Director – Super Green Solutions will present a PPT on their energy saving products and their ambitions and goals.
14.30 PM - 15.15 PM Focus Session 1: Infra Challenges
Themes- Land Acquisition
- Evacuation Challenges
- Other Infra Challenges
- Ms. Harshitha Kumar, Cluster Operations Head (AP & Telengana) - L&T Construction*
- Mr. D.V. Sathya –MD – Shri Shakti Alternative Energy
- Mr. Ajay Reddy – Vice President - Premier Solar Systems P. Ltd.
15.15 PM – 16.00 PM Focus Session 2: Policy & Finance Challenges
Themes- Regulatory Challenges
- Tariff Challenges
- Financing Challenges
- Mr. Ramesh Reddy – Director, Cirus Solar
- Mr. MR Srinivas – Director – Akasam Consultants
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
16.15 PM-17.15 PM Focus Session 3: Discussion on Offgrid & Rooftop Solar PV
Themes- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Rooftop Solar
- Status, Opportunities & Challenges in Off grid Solar (Will Include Discussion on Solar Pumps, Lightings and Fencing in Rural & Urban Areas)
- Mr. Pampapathy Anchala – Director – Newmen Solar
- Mr. Indrasen – CEO – Four Solar Systems P. Ltd.
- Mr. Ranganayakulu – CMD – Thrive Energy
- Mr. Vineet Mittal – Director – Navitas Solar
- Mr. Venkat Kumar Tangirala – President – India & SE Asia at WindStream Technologies
17.15 PM-18.00 PM Panel Discussion on Highlights and Way Forward
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18.00 PM – 18.15 PM Valedictory & Close of Event ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* : To be confirmed
Fees: Rs 2000 only. Registration: Register online here
.
Or talk to
Kesavan Sundara Murthy - Mobile: + 91 88855 90969, or Rajasekar – Mobile: +91 9392859636 Email: ecosure789@gmail.com Check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar ThermalSolar PV Installers Training & UL Certification Chennai – Feb 11-13, 2013, Conducted by iAcharya and UL
iAcharya Silicon along with Underwriters Labs (UL) with will be conducting a comprehensive solar PV workshop & training for installers, in Chennai. This will be especially of interest to prospective solar PV installers, system integrators and EPCs. All participants will get a UL Global Certificate which will be a useful asset in your solar PV installation efforts. Coming at a time when the solar PV installations across the country, and especially in south India, will be taking off, this training program will provide immense benefits to all those keen on starting a business or making a career in the solar PV industry. This is the third such program iAcharya and UL are conducting. The earlier two training programs both had about 50 participants each and the feedback from the users was highly positive. The organizers have included the suggestions for improvement in this program, making this even more productive and useful. We have only about 10 more seats as of Feb 7th morning. Those of you who are interested kindly interact with Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com. Organized by: iAcharya Silicon, and conducted by Underwriters Laboratories, world's leading testing, inspection, auditing and certification company. More about UL from here. iAcharya is a leading solar PV solutions provider for India and operates along multiple points in the solar PV value chain. Please find below the details about this unique training programme. Date: 11th - 13th Feb ’13
Venue: Hotel Radha Regent, Vadapalani, Chennai.
Fee: Rs.20,000/- per head for 3 days with High Tea morning / evening & Lunch with UL Global participation certificate. Interested? Contact Meenakshi Balaji of iAcharya (mobile - 09840354701 ) - meenakshi.balaji@iacharya.com
Solar PV Power Plants – Drivers, Challenges, and Models – Pramodh, SPI Group
Excerpt of a presentation from the EAI Solar PV Developer - EPC Meet, Chennai, Jan 22, 2013
| Mr. Pramodh of SPI Group made a presentation on Drivers, Challenges, and Models in the Solar PV sector to the delegates at the Developer & Networking meet. He assessed the risks as seen by the developer and offered a comparison with wind energy to highlight the need for greater and better choices for the solar developer. |
- High
- Uncertainty In State/Central Solar Obligation Program – These obligations are based more on political will than strategic reasons. A lot of questions surround these programs, such as who will be the regulating authority and the extent to which they will ensure compliance, of which the second is a significant risk to the developer
- Time delay between grid connectivity and power evacuation projects – In some states such as Gujarat the developer builds, operates, and transfers the plant to the stage government but the timeframe is not clear. In states like Tamil Nadu there are many constraints such as number of bays and transformer capacity. Since solar plants are typically connected to the distribution substation and not the pooling substation it is important to ensure capacity for further forwarding of power. These make choice of site very difficult
- Lack of coordination among regulatory and implementation agencies – RECs are an example of how this lack of coordination has resulted in a lot of uncertainty on the market for RECs which affects investor interest
- Nascent guidelines body – Unlike the Wind energy sector which has CWET, the solar sector does not have an equivalent organisation to provide guidelines
- Medium
- No standardisation of product and sizing requirements – Again unlike wind, the solar sector lacks standard product packages based on capacity, and is dependent on factors such as location
- Lack of clarity on costing – EPCs do not provide detailed breakdown of costs. This prevents a developer from identifying areas where they can add value, such as identifying region-specific risk
- Price per unit of generation – There is ambiguity on price of solar. Wind energy appears to be more competitive and the major differentiator being offered by solar energy is the distribution of generation with storage being a possible differentiator in future
- Lack of technical clarity on entire plant – EPCs often provide only general details on the design of a plant, rather than something like a Single-line diagram
- Operations and Maintenance – EPCs provide an estimate of O&M costs without details on how the estimate is arrived at. Warranties are also provided on component basis, without an estimation of the reliability of the plant as a whole
- Component warranty and replacement – Data on failure history in local conditions would help investors assess the risk in the project
- Low
- Funding – Gaining funding for projects becomes a lot easier once the above points are addressed
- Wind – OEMs offer
- Component supply
- Project design, supply, installation
- Operations & Maintenance
- Choice on which of the above stages is handled by the developer and by EPC
- Solar – In contrast, solar offers very few options where developer only gets to own the project, and cannot operate and maintain it
SunEdison’s Plan for 2000 MW Renewable Energy Projects in Tamil Nadu
At the recently concluded Global Investor's Meet at Chennai, SunEdison has signed MoUs for 2000 MW of renewable energy development in Tamil Nadu. While no fan of either MoUs or these gala investor's meets, I do hope that these intentions translate to reality. With SunEdison already operating a number of RE assets across the country, and given the company's fairly aggressive business development, there is a good chance this will happen. Here's what the company intends to do in TN: "Detailing plans, SunEdison officials said that the company would develop 1200MW of solar power projects and 800MW of wind energy projects. "We have acquired land parcels for solar project outside Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tiruchuzhi (in Perambalur district) for the solar project," an official said.The company has already acquired land at Periyapatti near Coimbatore for its wind energy project. "We do not foresee any issues on land buying," the official said. Let us indeed hope that these projects take off soon. Tamil Nadu has been perceived rather poorly with regard to solar power development, having declared a policy almost 3 years back but hardly getting anything on or off the ground since then. Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal
Sustainable cooling webinar by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Sustainable cooling webinar - 25 Aug 2023 - by Oorja Engineering & CLIMAFIX Summit
Done in the run-up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate tech startup summit. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park - https://lnkd.in/gRwB-hxm
My pleasure to announce a 1 hour webinar on sustainable cooling. This will be delivered by Madhusudhan Rapole of Oorja Energy Engineering Services, a pioneer in designing and implementing alternative, sustainable cooling solutions such as radiant cooling, structure cooling and geothermal cooling, and also an important sponsor for CLIMAFIX Summit 2023.
Will be of significant value to following stakeholders:
> Building architects & designers
> Green building real estate and project developers
> Construction and infrastructure firms
> Government officials administering public buildings
> City planners designing low carbon cities
> Engineers & solution providers offering services in building energy efficiency
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?
Date: 25 Aug 2023, Friday
Time: 4 PM - 5 PM IST
Medium: Zoom
Those interested will need to register in advance.
Let me know if you are interested by sending a DM or note to narsi@eai.in
Done as a run up to the CLIMAFIX Summit 2023, India's largest climate startup summit, Sep 22 & 23, IIT Madras Research Park. Organized along with THE ENERGY CONSORTIUM - IIT MADRAS
The CLIMAFIX team thanks its sponsors for partnering with us on this interesting journey- Illumine-i , Akshayakalpa Organic, BLUEBELL ENERGY LTD, Capital-A (Manjushree Capital Advisors), Oorja Energy Engineering Services , Anicut Capital LLP
Nikhil Tambe | Satyanarayanan Seshadri | Manohar Namasivayam
See my LinkedIn post on this topic
The XPrize Comes to India – Start working on your dreams
Imagine you are a nobody like me.
Now imagine that you are sitting right behind Ratan Tata. Yes, THE Tata.
He is sitting right in front of you for not just a few flickering minutes, but for 3 full hours.
For a change, he is not in high level consultations with top honchos.
In fact, he is pretty much free; if you wish, you could actually say Hi to him and get a personal audience for 15 minutes, when you tell him about that world-changing idea you are working on.
Who knows, he might even consider helping you.
All the stuff above is a long shot, right? It's surely not going to happen to the yous and mes?
Yeah, whatever. But heard the latest? The world is changing.
Just a couple of days back, Ratan Tata was indeed sitting right in front of a nobody for 3 hours.
Sadly, that chap had nothing earth-shaking to pitch to Tata.
For a long moment, I wished I were a tad better than just another random jerk.
There's of course the comforting possibility of next birth.
Just What Inspired SpaceShipOne?
A major turning point for spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004. A space ship reached 100 Kms above earth to reach the boundaries of space.
So what is so unique about this? Haven't we had manned thingies go into space since those redoubtable Russians started it in the 1960s?
SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded, non-governmental manned spacecraft. This rather challenging feat was achieved purely through a combination of private investments and individual brilliance.
No government. No NASA. No ESA. No UNO. Thank you very much.
While the SpaceShipOne venture had its godfather in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen who reportedly funded the entire project, the credit for catalyzing this significant achievement goes to something entirely different.
That credit goes to the XPrize.
The XPrize
It is difficult to deduce what drives folks like Peter Diamandis to do the things they do - I reckon that's just the way the world works.
After studying Aeronautics at MIT and Medicine at Harvard (that's just the way...), Diamandis was from early on in his life keen to be a catalyst for exciting things to happen.
When Diamandis read about Charles Lindbergh's The Spirit of St. Louis - the monoplane flown by Lindbergh in 1927 that completed the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris which netted Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize - a light bulb went on in his mind.
$25,000 Orteig Prize.
Diamandis had found the trigger he was looking for. In 1994, he founded the X PRIZE Foundation.
Broadly, the XPrize comprises monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:
- Attract investment from the private sector/individuals (anyone except the government is the feeling I get) that takes out-of-the-box or brilliant approaches to solve really challenging problems.
- Create results that are real and meaningful. Thus, while tuned to promote adoption of the innovation, the challenges need to have measurable goals.
- Throw the challenge across national and across functional boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve such difficult challenges.
Identify a challenge that is indeed a big deal;
Create an exciting prize to motivate folks to put in their best
...to come up with clearly workable solutions.
You might ask: Is just throwing a big money prize enough to get creative minds attempt to solve very, very difficult challenges? Good question. Perhaps money is just the anchor around which the play revolves, perhaps it is really the fame, or sense of achievement. But the key take away is: The concept seems to work. Using the above three components, the Ansari XPrize (called so after the Ansari family who sponsored this prize), was able to make SpaceShipOne happen. If XPrize could get a real big deal like private space travel close to reality, perhaps the same template can find scalable and workable solutions to many other challenging problems? Challenges such as Poverty? Water? Waste Management? Sustainable energy? Education?... When anyone hears the above challenges, the first thing that crosses their mind is - Hey, you must be talking about India! The XPrize Comes to India If you had not heard about the XPrize, don't blame yourself. Most ordinary Indians would not have. So far, the XPrize had most of its activities in the US. Though technically anyone from any part of the globe could have participated, my guess is that most who pitched in were from the US, and possibly from the geeky silicon valley and nearby tech fiefdoms. India becomes the first country outside the United States where the XPrize will have an official presence."XPRIZE believes there is tremendous opportunity to use the incentivized competition model to focus India's innovators on creating technological breakthroughs to address India's Grand Challenges in areas such as Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management."Each of the above challenges, viz, Energy, Learning, Food & Health, Water and Waste Management, is as daunting as, or possibly far more daunting than, a private space shuttle. Just imagine for a moment an India without poverty, with healthy, educated folks having access to clean water, and a country where waste is managed sustainably and even turned into value. It's never gonna happen, right? Well, if we try solving the critical problems the way we have in the past, perhaps it never is gonna happen. Until now, we have left it to the government to fix these problems. And the governments have created what they are widely regarded to excel at: sub-optimally designed, non-scalable solutions whose success is left to the mercy of - who else - the government. But is it possible that private investments and brilliant endeavours by individuals could result in products or devices that solve these problems more scalably and sustainably? Peter Diamandis certainly thinks so. And so do Ratan Tata, Larry Page, Elon Musk and others who are all on board of XPrize. XPrize India was launched in Mumbai on Dec 11. Sometime soon... ...some nobody from India will once again have Ratan Tata sitting right in front. But this time, he or she will actually pitch a world changing solution to Tata. Who knows, the XPrize might solve at least some of India's most critical challenges not far into the future. It might make those who dared to dream to fight it out to create beautiful and brilliant solutions. In the process propelling these nobodys to the front row. Perhaps right next to, not behind, Ratan Tata. More about XPrize's intentions for India from here. Some news items on the launch of XPrize India from here, here, here, here and here.
Pics from the launch event
Zenia Tata, Director, Global Development @ X Prize. introduces the concept
.
Peter Diamandis takes Ratan Tata's perspectives on the XPrize.
Ratan Tata interacting with a XPrize India contestant team, Danvantari, who are working to develop a non-invasive device that provides gives you data on 8 key health parameters.
Ratan Tata, Peter Diamandis, Zenia Tata
This post was written by Narasimhan Santhanam, Cofounder & Director, EAI
Towards Green Industrialization – Celebrating Climate Change in Manufacturing
L to r: V Narasimhan (Brakes India), Palani Perisamy (SICCI), Bharat Joshi (British High Commission), Einsenhower (Saint Gobain), Bhoo Thirumalai (Aspiration Energy)
Quick Facts
- Event Organized by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- 23rd June, Chennai
- Organizers
- Dr Palani Periasamy, Vice President, SICCI
- Bhoovarahan Thirumalai, Chairman, SICCI Energy Committee
- Guest of Honor
- Bharat Joshi, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai
- Main Presenters
- V Narasimhan, Executive Director, Foundry, Brakes India
- Eisenhower, India Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Glass
- They are 13% water positive
- They have a huge rain water collection tank...
- They use waste for construction
- They do a lot of RDF
- Only 3% of their stuff goes down the drain as waste, even this they wish to make these to go to their bottom line...
- Their energy requirements decreased from 0.086 mtoe/ton to 0.082 between 2011 to 2015. Not considerable I guess, but as he himself admitted, there is scope for much more improvement. ((mtoe = million tons of oil equivalent)
- They get 64 million kwh from wind annually, that must be almost 30 MW (my guess)
- 8 MW solar plant (this was set up by SunEdison recently)
- GHG emissions come down by 40% in the past few years, mainly through wind power purchase..
- It was a semi arid drought prone area when they went there 34 years back, but now there is a lot of greenery and green belt development (this is something that many companies setting up shop in such regions can attempt)
- They use reusable pallets 88% - closed loop pallet handling, collapsible...that's impressive I must say
- Rail is their first choice of transport as it is the least energy consuming avenue, barge and ships next preferred and trucks the most energy consuming, so preferred least
- They try to do everything closed loop...
- Perhaps the second foundry in the world to get the Deming prize...
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Eisenhower, Director - Operations, Saint Gobain Water- They have a massive rain water harvesting tank...
- Largest roof for water harvesting in Tamil Nadu...
- Roof water is stored in a huge reservoir...
- 90 days of their water requirements is met from their water harvesting
- 350 kW solar at their Chennai plant
- 450 kW on roof of Bhiwadi plant
- They are transporting glass without packing materials - this was pretty interesting and impressive, how this global leader has innovated to somehow transport a sensitive material such as glass with little or no packing materials.
- 30% energy saved on furnace mainly through computerization...that's once again a useful take away for many other companies that might have similar operations.
- Waste heat recovery - generates 0.8 MW of steam
- They do some work with CIIE - incubation arm of IIMA
- India - has 17% of world population on 3% of world land and 4% of worlds water...
- Tackling the global problem is impossible without India's participation
- The UK is the worlds largest investor in India
- UK have half of Europes offshore wind farms...
- UK also has the worlds largest working offshore wind farm...
- 150 million pounds of research invested by UK in India
- Working with MNRE to out up a offshore wind farm in India, most likely will come up in Gujarat...
- Saint Gobain is not in glass alone, they are also in building materials...
- They was started to make glass for the Palace of Versailles
- They make fire protection glass - you could stand on the other side of glass with fire on the other side and stand for 2 hours...outside of France, this fire protection glass is made only in Chennai...
- They are in the 5th generation of glasses, which could extend to sophisticated glasses that you could control sunlight with a switch, and photo chromatic glass
Check out: Sustainability Edge – EAI Consulting to assist corporates design, evaluate and align sustainability strategies
Training on Rooftop Solar, MW Scale PV Plants & Offgrid Solar Products by EAI
Focussed 1 Day Solar Training at Hyderabad, May 25
Conducted by EAI
Career & Business Oriented.
For Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs
Benefits for Attendees From this solar training program, you will get to know:- Focussed business opportunities in the solar PV sector
- Career opportunities for professionals, engineers and technicians
- Residential and commercial PV system design and configuration
- Troubleshooting and inspecting PV systems
- Contracting and Subcontracting opportunities in Ground Mounted Solar PV systems
- Practical details on Solar lanterns and lighting systems design, assembly and specifications
Unless We Find Another China, India Will Remain an Important Market for Wind Power – Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, Global Wind Energy Council
