Asia's largest solar field switched on in India

[JanjaWeed]

That's not true. Gujarat and Rajasthan are the only one. Its about the maximum exposure to sun with maximum strength 365 days + barren land.



Friend if u look closely u will found that majority of SOLAR power projects are situated in Rajasthan and Gujarat only.

my friend.. you maybe right when it comes to solar power. I'm alluding to overall growth progress of the state. For some reason it seems to me that Gujarat is on the upward move while other Indian states are trying to catch up in growth rate!!

 

[harpoon]

Modi have not done anything.

Its due to the location (sun light) and barren land available + govt. of India's encouraging policies.

OK then why its not happening in Rajasthan, which has one of the largest deserts in the world.

 

[Adnan Faruqi]

my friend.. you maybe right when it comes to solar power. I'm alluding to overall growth progress of the state. For some reason it seems to me that Gujarat is on the upward move while other Indian states are trying to catch up in growth rate!!

I agree with you.

My objection was to the point that its not all about Modi.

 

[JanjaWeed]

I agree with you.

My objection was to the point that its not all about Modi.

You might have your own opinion & i respect that. Wheras I feel that it's Modi's continuous & able leadership in Gujarat allowed the state to see the kind of progress other states are trying to achieve!!

 

[Adnan Faruqi]

OK then why its not happening in Rajasthan, which has one of the largest deserts in the world.

The answer lies in ur question, bhai jaan.

In desert the operational cost is more due to dust and sand storms.

And who says its not happening but these solar projects are in Gujarat and Rajasthan mainly.

AREVA Solar to build 250 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan

Business Line : Companies News : L&T commissions 40 MW solar plant in Rajasthan

Azure Power commissions solar power plant in Rajasthan

Solar Energy in Rajasthan - Land of Sand Dune is now A Solar Hub

Rajasthan plans 3,000 MW solar power in eight years | solar power news,jobs,business opportunities in India

Sun shining on Rajasthan’s solar sector

JAIPUR: The ambitious solar parks project modeled after the special economic zones will take off the ground as the state government is kick-starting the bidding process for power plants from February 17. The process of finalisation of bids, approval and allocation of land will be completed by June this year, a top government official involved with the project said.

Out of the four proposed parks, the one in Jodhpur spread over 10,000 hectares is being developed first in phases where survey for 3,000 hectares of land has already been completed. Parks in other three places such as Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Barmer districts are being planned to make Rajasthan a solar power hub in the world with an aim to generate up to 11,000 megawatt (MW) in 12 years.

While the government targets a capacity 3,000 MW from the Jodhpur park, the current bidding will be for 100 MW, the official in the renewable energy department said. And in the first phase, he added, the department has planned for 500 MW.

The state that receives maximum solar radiation in the country along with abundant low-cost desert land has been in the forefront contributing most of the solar power produced in the country. But headwinds from high cost of production have thwarted the efforts of the state to realize its potential.

But the official said that dynamics of the industry is changing faster than imagined, its for the better, reviving the interest of investors. For example, the single window clearance panel that approved projects worth Rs 15,000 crore on Monday also cleared ventures from solar energy sector contributing almost half of the amount.

Speaking to TOI, Purushottam Agarwal, commissioner, bureau of investment promotion, said that committee approved the Kolkata-based Sonthalia group's proposal for a solar park. He said the company is looking to set up an integrated solar park with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore. Besides, there were two other proposals worth Rs 1,500 crore, which were also cleared by the panel.

While the appetite for solar power among the investors has seen a resurgence, the availability of infrastructure will be a key deciding factor to attract investment in the sector.

"The aim of creating parks is to provide power producers the required infrastructure, which are being developed in Jodhpur park. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation is planning to create a special purpose vehicle for the development of infrastructure and management of solar parks," the official said.

Most of the infrastructure needed to evacuate power from the plants to the grid is available for Jodhpur park with Rajasthan Rajya Viduit Prasaran Nigam building pooling-in stations and transmission lines.

Rajasthan's ambition to become a global solar power centre received a huge boost after the Central government allocated 873 MW to the state under National Solar Mission phase -1 out of the 1100 MW.

By developing solar parks, the state also seeks to promote allied industries and activities like manufacturing, research and development, and training in these enclaves. It banks on the availability of raw materials like zinc, molten salt and solar glass to catapult the state as a destination for investments in equipment manufacturing.

So far 722 companies have registered for setting up solar power projects, with a cumulative capacity of 16,900 MW.

Sun shining on Rajasthan?s solar sector - Times Of India

OK then why its not happening in Rajasthan, which has one of the largest deserts in the world.

The answer lies in ur question, bhai jaan.

In desert the operational cost is more due to dust and sand storms.

And who says its not happening but these solar projects are in Gujarat and Rajasthan mainly.

AREVA Solar to build 250 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan

Business Line : Companies News : L&T commissions 40 MW solar plant in Rajasthan

Azure Power commissions solar power plant in Rajasthan

Solar Energy in Rajasthan - Land of Sand Dune is now A Solar Hub

Rajasthan plans 3,000 MW solar power in eight years | solar power news,jobs,business opportunities in India

Sun shining on Rajasthan’s solar sector

JAIPUR: The ambitious solar parks project modeled after the special economic zones will take off the ground as the state government is kick-starting the bidding process for power plants from February 17. The process of finalisation of bids, approval and allocation of land will be completed by June this year, a top government official involved with the project said.

Out of the four proposed parks, the one in Jodhpur spread over 10,000 hectares is being developed first in phases where survey for 3,000 hectares of land has already been completed. Parks in other three places such as Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Barmer districts are being planned to make Rajasthan a solar power hub in the world with an aim to generate up to 11,000 megawatt (MW) in 12 years.

While the government targets a capacity 3,000 MW from the Jodhpur park, the current bidding will be for 100 MW, the official in the renewable energy department said. And in the first phase, he added, the department has planned for 500 MW.

The state that receives maximum solar radiation in the country along with abundant low-cost desert land has been in the forefront contributing most of the solar power produced in the country. But headwinds from high cost of production have thwarted the efforts of the state to realize its potential.

But the official said that dynamics of the industry is changing faster than imagined, its for the better, reviving the interest of investors. For example, the single window clearance panel that approved projects worth Rs 15,000 crore on Monday also cleared ventures from solar energy sector contributing almost half of the amount.

Speaking to TOI, Purushottam Agarwal, commissioner, bureau of investment promotion, said that committee approved the Kolkata-based Sonthalia group's proposal for a solar park. He said the company is looking to set up an integrated solar park with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore. Besides, there were two other proposals worth Rs 1,500 crore, which were also cleared by the panel.

While the appetite for solar power among the investors has seen a resurgence, the availability of infrastructure will be a key deciding factor to attract investment in the sector.

"The aim of creating parks is to provide power producers the required infrastructure, which are being developed in Jodhpur park. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation is planning to create a special purpose vehicle for the development of infrastructure and management of solar parks," the official said.

Most of the infrastructure needed to evacuate power from the plants to the grid is available for Jodhpur park with Rajasthan Rajya Viduit Prasaran Nigam building pooling-in stations and transmission lines.

Rajasthan's ambition to become a global solar power centre received a huge boost after the Central government allocated 873 MW to the state under National Solar Mission phase -1 out of the 1100 MW.

By developing solar parks, the state also seeks to promote allied industries and activities like manufacturing, research and development, and training in these enclaves. It banks on the availability of raw materials like zinc, molten salt and solar glass to catapult the state as a destination for investments in equipment manufacturing.

So far 722 companies have registered for setting up solar power projects, with a cumulative capacity of 16,900 MW.

Sun shining on Rajasthan?s solar sector - Times Of India

 

[SpArK]

Due to the geographic locatio near to equator many states get sunlight the most.


Not just Gujarat but Rajasthan, maharashtra, South Tamilnadu, MP,UP, Odissa all have immense potential.

But it takes a man to MODIfy the destiny and potential of a state.

Gujarat is lucky to have that man.

 

[harpoon]

Instead of using batteries can we use solar energy to generate steam and run turbines?

 

[Sugarcane]

BTW - What will be per unit cost of electricity and what's total investment in term of money and time?

 

[Bang Galore]

If true!! Then its Awesome !!

Can you provide any link ?

True, while this particular project did not follow national curbs, the bulk of all projects under the central governments massive $18 billion plan will have no choice as per present rules though there is a lot of lobbying on especially from the U.S. for India to dilute those rules.

India’s Largest Solar Program Won’t Follow Federal Import Curbs
By Natalie Obiko Pearson - Fri Apr 20 10:19:17 GMT 2012

India’s largest solar power program in Gujarat state won’t follow the lead of the central government in imposing restrictions on imports of equipment for projects.

“We don’t want to link manufacturing with generation,” D.J. Pandian, Gujarat’s principal energy secretary, said in an interview. “There will be no requirement of local content.”

The central government ruled projects in its Solar Mission program must buy panels and cells locally, sparking a protest from U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez, who said it’s an “unfair trade practice.” Japan and the European Union have also taken Canada to the World Trade Organization over similar provisions in Ontario’s program.

Gujarat plans to award licenses for new plants this year after building up 600 megawatts of solar capacity, the most of any Indian state. The administration is waiting for the central government to announce the rules for its next solar auction so policies can be aligned, Pandian said today in Gandhinagar.

The western state plans to generate 20 percent of its electricity from clean sources by 2020, requiring construction of least 10,000 megawatts of renewable power plants, he said.

About 350 megawatts of the 958 megawatts of solar capacity awarded by the state missed a January deadline for completion. While developers will be allowed to press ahead with the plants if they can finish by Dec. 31, they will receive a lower rate for their power from the state-run utility, Pandian said.

“We hope they decide to complete them,” he said. “These projects are still viable even at the lower tariff.”

India

US once again voices concern over India’s solar import restriction « Panchabuta-Renewable Energy & Cleantech in India
India to restrict imports for solar energy equipments - Think India Foundation
Import restrictions to boost local solar power equipment makers | Indian Power Sector
Sourcing row in Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission - Economic Times

BTW - What will be per unit cost of electricity and what's total investment in term of money and time?

India follows a practice of reverse auction, those quoting lower get the contracts. It started out at Rs.20, came down to Rs.12/- in the first phase & is now at Rs.8-9 thus making it the cheapest solar power anywhere in the world.

 

[somebozo]

Now that is how it should be done

China needs to help and guide us in our progress (as it is ahead of us in these frontiers). In any case, it will be beneficial for both the countries.

Let's assume that once again India and China become the powerhouses of the world, as they once were.

The world's 2 biggest economies would be neighbors and the trade between them would be the envy of the rest of the world.

As of now your government is touting China killer missles while you are singing songs of friendship and peace..very funny


one question? Who will clean all those panels and how they will be cooled as heated and dusty panels produce less output.

 

[Bang Galore]

Bucking Solar Predictions, India Surprises Itself

A worker prepares to clean panels at a solar power plant in Khadoda in Gujarat State.

When the Indian government embarked on an ambitious solar power project two years ago, I wrote that its goals seemed farfetched. Since then, things have changed significantly, and as I note in Thursday’s paper, analysts say the project’s goal of having 20,000 megawatts of solar capacity by 2020 seems well within reach.

The main reason for the change is the striking drop in the global price for solar panels and modules. Another interesting factor in the fall in prices is an auction process that India adopted to force solar power producers to compete with one another. In one recently concluded auction, for instance, the prices at which developers agreed to sell power to the government were nearly 30 percent lower than a year earlier. More than 100 companies bid in the auction, including many that have never built a solar power park before.

It almost didn’t happen that way.

Initially, Indian policy makers intended to buy solar power for the grid at a fixed and subsidized price of 15.4 rupees (29 cents) for a kilowatt hour. “The sense was that we will not get up to 1,000 megawatts and there will not be too many offers,” said Shyam Saran, a former Indian diplomat and energy policy maker.

But what the government found was that there was far more interest in providing solar power to India than it was willing to buy; 6,000 megawatts were offered when it was interested in buying just 1,000 megawatts. So it decided to set up a reverse auction in which developers would bid to sell power to a state-owned electric utility.

Two auctions have been held so far, and they have been far more successful at driving down costs than anybody had anticipated. The lowest winning bid in the most recent auction was 7.50 rupees and the average bid was 8.77 rupees, about half the fixed price at which the government was initially willing to buy power.

“The government is doing the right thing by following a trial and experiment approach,” said Tobias Engelmeier, the managing director of Bridge to India, a research and consulting firm based in New Delhi.

India’s approach to solar power is in stark contrast to the murky policies it set in some other industrial sectors. In 2008, for example, it gave away telecommunications spectrum on a first come, first served basis at fixed prices that had been set in 2001. A government auditor later estimated that India may have lost as much as $40 billion by not conducting an auction. Several former public officials and corporate executives involved in the telecom affair are now on trial on corruption charges.

India’s auctions also buck the approach commonly used elsewhere in the world. Germany, Spain and other European nations have heavily subsidized solar power by setting fixed prices for it. Some of those countries were forced to cut those prices after policy makers realized that the government had to buy lots of expensive electricity for many years to come.

As a result, India “is emerging as one of the major solar markets in the world,” said Alan Rosling, the managing director of Kiran Energy, an Indian solar power developer.

“Until two years ago, very few international companies were taking India seriously,” he noted.

Still, there is no guarantee that the future will remain bright for solar power in the country. Some Indian companies are complaining that the nation’s policies do not protect local manufacturers, which cannot compete with low-cost Chinese manufacturers and innovative American start-ups. Indian producers say that without subsidies, they cannot offer the kind of generous credit and low prices that some foreign competitors can. And they want the government to impose duties on imports of solar equipment.

A longer-term concern is figuring out a way to assure continued growth in the spread of solar panels to the rooftops of homes and businesses. That will become a more important issue after developers have blanketed the arid northwestern states of Gujarat and Rajasthan with panels. “Space can become a constraint very quickly once you have taken care of the Rajasthan desert or the Gujarat desert,” Mr. Saran said.

But for now, the industry and policy makers are looking forward to flipping the switch on the next group of new solar plants, which are expected to begin sending electricity to the grid in January.

Bucking Solar Predictions, India Surprises Itself - NYTimes.com

India’s Novel Solar Auctions Fuel Boom

An electrical grid at Azure Solar Plant in Gujarat.

India's Novel Solar Auctions Fuel Boom - NYTimes.com

 

[punjabimunda]

As of now your government is touting China killer missles while you are singing songs of friendship and peace..very funny


one question? Who will clean all those panels and how they will be cooled as heated and dusty panels produce less output.

they have a team who maintains these plants.

 

[Aqua]

Instead of using batteries can we use solar energy to generate steam and run turbines?

Ya, solar energy can be used to generate steam to run turbines. The popular method is using parabolic mirror type metal to focus max hear on particular point where running fluid inside a pipe gets hot and move through steam boiler to make water boil.

 

[DF-41 ICBM]

move this thread to the indian fanboy section, this is world affairs section.

more indian bragging, i could post all the great things happening in china in world affairs section too.
it will take up the entire section.

indocarib needs to get a good long ban, always posting indian crap in world affairs section.

im not even sure this thing is grid connected.
remember the commonwealth games, lots of bragging yet turned into a disaster.

Bright outlook for solar sector - China.org.cn

China likely to become largest solar power market next year - Business - English (United Kingdom) - Ecoseed Information Network

Future is bright for thin-film energy cells|Business|chinadaily.com.cn

 

[IndoUS]

move this thread to the indian fanboy section, this is world affairs section.

more indian bragging, i could post all the great things happening in china in world affairs section too.
it will take up the entire section.

indocarib needs to get a good long ban, always posting indian crap in world affairs section.

im not even sure this thing is grid connected.
remember the commonwealth games, lots of bragging yet turned into a disaster.

Bright outlook for solar sector - China.org.cn

China likely to become largest solar power market next year - Business - English (United Kingdom) - Ecoseed Information Network

Future is bright for thin-film energy cells|Business|chinadaily.com.cn

Thats because if you post it in the indian defense section the thread gets deleted.