Monday, March 21, 2016

Can Solar Energy In India Target Be Achieved?


Solar Energy

With multiple solar projects in India set to take off, India is set to almost double the generation capacity targets in the ongoing financial year and also exceed its target of contributing an additional 1.8 GW of extra capacity during this year. As per statistics, India will end the present financial year with total solar power generation capacities of an impressive 6 GW. In February 2015, operational capacity stood at just 5 GW for India. Performance of solar PV plants developed under the aegis of the National Solar Mission has exceeded expectations as well. This should boost the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) that is targeting an addition of 100 GW of solar power by the year 2022 as part of the National Solar Mission. The Solar Mission had targeted an addition of 1.8 GW for the fiscal year which would take total capacity to approximately 5.5 GW. For the 2016-17 fiscal, the country has a target of 7.2 GW in extra capacity while this should go up to 10 GW for the 2017-18 fiscal.

Rooftop solar projects should add 40% of the 100 GW targeted by the year 2022 while 57% will be added through solar farms and other big ticket projects. This capacity addition will also encompasses solar thermal plants and dry or photovoltaic plants. Most installations till date have been created with the help of photovoltaic (PV) technology which does not require high maintenance owing to fewer moving components. The target of the National Solar Mission for the first year will be met due to several Solar Energy In India that have been kick started by private organizations.

Rajasthan is the leader in terms of overall solar power generation capacity in the country with 1.26 GW while Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh come second and third with 1 GW and 0.7 GW respectively. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh follow with 378 MW and 253 MW respectively. Andhra Pradesh should take second position in the next fiscal since it has already sanctioned subsidies for 3, 500 MW capacity from the Centre. Subsidies are also being given by the Government to big solar parks to the tune of INR 20 lakh per MW. The costs involved in building solar parks is approximately INR 5 crore which is one of the lowest globally. This has certainly contributed towards helping India meet the ambitious National Solar Mission target for this year and stay on course to meet the next batches of targets.

Welspun IPP is a leading player when it comes to solar and wind energy and has already developed a path breaking 151 MW plant at Neemuch. The company aims at being one of the frontrunners of India’s growth strategy in the sector. 

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Top 5 Countries That Have Set New Benchmarks In Renewable Energy

The renewable energy domain has been making incredible progress across the globe in recent years. For example, solar energy generation capacity is on the upswing, wind power is blowing strong across water and land, while the crucial battery storage technology has improved rapidly allowing the clean energy generated to be stored for use when needed

But which countries are making the most progress in the global race to convert to renewable resources? Here’s a close look at the top countries that achieved notable progress in the renewable energy space in 2014 and the beginning months of this year.

USA
North America leads the world in terms of recently announced energy storage projects.
Residential solar prices are a in a freefall throughout the country.
Energy storage facilities estimated to grow 10x in five years
States like California have taken the lead by pushing for a mandatory 50% renewables by 2030 Renewables account for an impressive 98% of new energy distribution.

Germany
Electricity output from renewables has grown eight times since 1990, latest data suggests a huge shift towards clean energy taking place.

German battery maker BMZ, will be quadrupling its production capacity to roughly 5 GWh of energy storage capacity annually by the year 2020

Germany plans to abandon all nuclear power by 2020 and has announced new 150MW ground-mounted solar energy projects towards this end.

The country has invested approx 30 billion Euros in offshore wind energy projects.

India
Solar power is likely to constitute about 25% of India’s total power generation capacity by 2022.

The government has also announced 100 GW wind energy capacity by the same year.

Rajasthan is likely to witness 40 GW of solar capacity development in keeping with India’s mission to possess 100 GW solar power generation capacity by 2022. Assuming all developers adhere to their states commitments, Rajasthan alone is likely to account for nearly 40% of this target.

India is gearing up to welcome approx 750 MW facility which is coming online soon.

Indian Railways, the fourth largest rail network in the world has joined the renewable bandwagon and plans to create a 1 GW solar plan

China
China has put a cap on coal after smog levels in the country reached alarming levels.
It has already installed approx 5.04 GW in the first few months of this year.
China’s offshore wind sector capacity has increased by approx 500%.
5GW of distributed solar to be available in 2015

United Kingdom (UK)
Sales of eco-friendly electric cars in the UK have recorded a 300% rise.
Estimates for solar energy capacity have also jumped by approx 4%.
57 MW of solar power has already been connected in the UK.

With wind costs on the decline, UK has planned a 400 MW offshore wind programme, headed by a proposed 1.2 GW offshore wind project.

Welspun Renewables has pioneered solar and wind power solutions that have set new industry benchmarks for their sheer size and installed capacity.