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 Table Of Content In Conversation
Solar Installations Will Light Up India’s Future Energy
Prospects
18 Mr. Bhavesh Modi, Director, Sanelite
“We Are In Process Of Enhancing Our Production
Capacity And Very Soon It Will Be Doubled.”

12

Frank Qiao, Co-Founder and Sales Director,

Growatt
Integrated Solar Modules: The Next Step In Solar
Design & Technology “Growatt Has Been A Leading Inverter Brand In
The Rooftop Sector.”
22 12

Mr. Vijay Khandwekar, Head of Module

Mounting Structure Business, Solar, Tata
International Limited

“We Have Steadily Built Our Capabilities To

14 Handle Projects Of Larger Capacities Within Short
How Energy Storage Can Facilitate Solar Integration Timelines With Primary Focus On Quality And
Customer.”
24
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Asia, Goodwe
“Goodwe’s Philosophy Is To Always Create Win-
Win Partnerships By Identifying And Integrating
14 The Most Advanced Components And Techniques.”

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 India News
I ndia to add 10GW of renewable power in FY20: ICRA
India will add 10GW of renewable energy generation capacity in FY20, a note from
ratings and research agency ICRA said . The comparable figure for FY19 is 9GW.
In its note, ICRA maintained a year-end stable outlook for the domestic renewable
energy sector due to large-sized capacity addition particularly in the wind and solar
power segments, driven by policy support from central and state governments as well
as the significantly improved tariff competitiveness of wind and solar power vis-a-vis
conventional power sources.
Sabyasachi Majumdar, group head - corporate ratings, ICRA, said: “The project awards
by the central nodal agencies and state distribution utilities in CY2017 and CY2018 (YTD)
provide a reasonably healthy visibility for RE capacity addition in FY2019 and FY2020 with
expected addition of about 9GW in FY2019 and about 10GW in FY2020. The government
has set an ambitious target of reaching 100GW of solar power generation capacity and
227GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, while total renewable capacity in India is
just over 70GW today.
C entre to revive 23GW solar and transmission projects in
Leh region
The Centre is reviving mega solar power projects in Leh and Ladakh, with a plan to set up
23GW of grid-connected projects. Private developers would be invited to submit tenders
for these.
Their transmission network would be extended till Punjab, a distance of about 850 km.
The United Progressive Alliance government had tried to set up a 7.5GW solar project, but
the plan never saw the light of day. The current government listed 5GW project in Leh in its
list of ultra-mega solar project across county. The tender process has not begun for it yet.
In the phase 1 of the current plan, the Centre is looking to put up 2.5GW projects in Kargil
and 5GW projects in Leh for tenders. Officials in the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy said the tender would aim at setting up a mega capacity project of 2.5GW at one
location. India’s target for solar power is 100GW; current installed capacity is 22GW.
The project would be awarded by the Solar Energy Corporation of India, the nodal agency
of the MNRE. The tenders would be issued by December 15.
Y
ear End Review 2018 – Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy
Keeping in view our commitment to a healthy planet and our Nationally Determined
Contributions as per the Paris Accord on Climate Change, India made a pledge that by
2030, 40% of installed power generation capacity shall be based on clean sources, it was
determined that 175 GW of renewable energy capacity will be installed by 2022.
This includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from
small hydro power.
The substantial higher capacity target will ensure greater energy security, improved
energy access and enhanced employment opportunities. With the accomplishment of this
ambitious target, India will become one of the largest Green Energy producers in the
world, even surpassing several developed countries.
S afeguard duty: Import of solar cell declines, domestic
firms’ market shares up
India has an ambitious target to increase its solar capacity to 100 gigawatt by 2022 from
24 giga watt at present.
The imposition of safeguard duty on the import of solar cells — the basic ingredient
needed to manufacture solar panels — is starting to show its effect. In the first six months
of FY19, the country imported solar cells worth $1,038 million, 47% lower than what was
imported in the corresponding period a year ago.
This is a reversal of the trend that prevailed in the last three years, where value of solar
imports increased at a compound annual growth rate of 91.4%. About 88% of domestic
module requirements were met through imports in FY18.
The government, in July, imposed a 25% safeguard duty on import of solar cells for a
year ending July 29, 2019 from China, Malaysia and other developed countries. The duty
would be 20% for the next six months, till January 29, 2020, and 15% in the subsequent
six months.
Meanwhile, the market shares of domestic solar panel makers are on the rise. According to
data from Bridge to India, no Indian module supplier featured among the top ten module
suppliers as on September, 2017. Cut to September, 2018, Adani Solar and Tata Power
Solar find a place in that list in the renewable research agency’s latest report. The market
share of Vikram Solar and Waaree Energies now stand at 3.3% and 1.1% respectively.
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
G oa government proposes to tweak solar policy to
incentivise production
To incentivise production of solar power in the state, the government has proposed a 50%
subsidy for small prosumers (consumers and producers of solar power) as an amendment
to the Goa State Solar Energy Policy, 2017.
Instead of granting an interest-free loan that would be recovered in instalments from
small prosumers, the government proposes to provide a 50% subsidy on capital costs
to prosumers in the residential, institutional and social sector categories that have solar
plants with a capacity of up to 100kW. If the amendment is allowed, the Centre will bear
30% of the subsidy’s cost and the state, 20%. Also, such a subsidy will be released to the
prosumer only six months after the solar power project is connected to the grid.
The proposed amendments to the solar policy have been uploaded to the website of the
Goa Energy Development Agency, www.geda.goa.gov.in.
A single-window clearance portal for grid-connected rooftop solar installations has already
been readied for consumers in Goa, but is yet to be launched. Developed by the EU-India
Technical Cooperation Energy Project, in coordination with the Asian Development Bank’s
technical assistance programme, it will assist consumers in adopting green energy without
having to worry about red tapism.
N
ew capacity edition for Nov-Feb: Govt asks Solar Energy
Corp to bring tenders of 4000 MW
The proposal that SECI may bring tenders of 1000 MW each in the months from November
to February has come with an assumption that code of conduct for the next general
election will be enforced in March 2019.
With the government facing criticism over unfulfilled promises and unmet targets, the
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has been asked to bring tenders of 1000 MW each
in the months from November to February for new capacity edition. The proposal to add
around 4000 MW — to the already installed 25000 MW solar capacity — is not likely to
expedite the process of meeting the central government’s target of one lakh MW of solar
capacity by 2022.
The proposal that SECI may bring tenders of 1000 MW each in the months from November
to February has come with an assumption that code of conduct for the next general election
will be enforced in March 2019. The solar capacity that is likely to be commissioned during
2019-20 is 4740 MW whereas solar capacity that is expected to be commissioned during
this financial year is 4165 MW.
In 2015, the then Union power minister, Piyush Goyal, had announced that the centre has
set a target of having 175 GW renewable power installed capacity by the end of 2022. This
includes 60 GW from wind power, 100 GW from solar power, 10 GW from biomass power
and 5 GW from small hydro power.
D
elhi’s residential solar program offers guaranteed
payment security to installers
The Delhi government recently approved the Mukhyamantri Solar Power Program to give
the necessary and required impetus to solar power and its adoption in Delhi. This program
will apply to domestic (residential) sector consumers in Delhi.
The government recognizes the fact that the solar installations on government buildings
and educational institutions are about 105 MW compared to the 5 MW installations so far
in the residential segment. To bridge this gap and realize the concept of “Solarize Delhi”
under the Delhi Solar Policy 2016, the government realizes this huge untapped potential
has to be utilized.
According to the government, a good part of solar power potential in the residential
segment is on the rooftops of approximately 1,990 registered co-operative group housing
societies in Delhi that have shown interest in installation under the RESCO model. But
due to lack of payment security mechanism, rooftop installers were reluctant to offer their
services resulting in power rates in societies remaining higher in comparison to rates for
government buildings.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has approved 40 MW of grid-
connected rooftop solar projects for the domestic/institutional/social segment for Delhi
under its subsidy schemes, allowing award of work order within six months and project
completion time of 15 months from the date of approval.
You would need more NEWs to cover your page. You can also put some news on any new
Big Tenders. , Projects, etc.
Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter •• December 2018 6
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w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 7
 Asia News
P hilippines government working on rooftop solar policy
proposal
The Senate of The Philippines has announced that a proposal to reduce the cost of electricity
for households and businesses through the adoption of rooftop solar, is currently under
scrutiny by the senate committee on energy.
Senator Grace Poe, who has initiated the filing of Senate Bill No. 1719 for the promotion
and adoption of rooftop solar technology among residential, commercial, industrial and
government end-users, said that “Rooftop solar is an emerging technology which the
government should look into especially as it’s becoming cheaper by the day,”
She continued stating that “Unlike other power plants, whether fossil-based, hydro, wind
or solar farms, rooftop solar does not require land conversions because it uses what is
usually an underutilized and already existing resource — the roof,”.
“Complete solar photovoltaic systems or solar technology can be bought off-the-shelf
and could be easily installed in a few hours. Larger systems may take a few days. No other
technology, renewable or otherwise, could match the convenient installation attributed to
rooftop solar,” Poe added.
Although a net metering policy was introduced in the Philippines in 2008, there has been
a slow adoption of rooftop solar by consumers due to reasons such as inability to access
financing, regulatory red tape and resistance from utilities to comply with the policy.
R GS Energy’s POWERHOUSE™ partner Risen ranked among
top three solar PV module manufacturers
Risen Energy reported on November 19, 2018 it has been listed by Exawatt Power Rankings
as a top three solar PV module manufacturer for the second quarter of 2018.
This achievement reflects Risen Energy’s outstanding success in developing industry-
leading PV module technology and delivering professional project services.
“We are now fulfilling purchase orders from RGS to enable them to meet their customer
demand,” said Bypina Veerraju Chaudary, Risen Energy’s chief sales and marketing officer.
“We have begun manufacturing solar components and wire harness connectors for
POWERHOUSE™ and expect to increase our production schedule in the coming months.
Our deep experience working with new technology makes us ideally suited to help RGS
continually improve and reduce the costs to manufacture POWERHOUSE™.”
Dennis Lacey, RGS Energy’s CEO, commented: “We believe our POWERHOUSE™ customers
will have the peace of mind knowing that the solar component is made by utilizing Risen’s
expertise, delivered by a strong Tier 1 solar manufacturer. Using technology developed
by the Dow Chemical Company and parts supplied by a stellar partner such as Risen, we
believe that our solar shingle enables us to offer unsurpassed value proposition in today’s
market place.”
I FC to help Uzbekistan bring foreign investment in energy
sector
A round table was held in Tashkent to clarify the provisions of the tender documentation
for a test public-private partnership project to attract investments to finance, build and
operate a solar photovoltaic plant with a capacity of up to 100 megawatts in Uzbekistan’s
Navoi, press service of the International Finance Corporation said.
The solar plant is the first phase of a project with a total capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts.
The event was attended by more than 15 international companies that familiarized
themselves with the conditions of the tender, including the technical, economic and legal
aspects of the project.
An investor will be selected through a transparent and competitive international tender,
the results of which will be known in 2H2019.
In accordance with an agreement between the State Committee of Uzbekistan for
Investments and Uzbekenergo, dated May 17, 2018, IFC, a member of the World Bank
Group, is helping Uzbekenergo to attract the private sector’s experience and investment
into the renewable energy sector of Uzbekistan.
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
C MI Energy awarded a contract for the Mohammed bin
Rashid al Maktoum solar park in Dubai
After its commercial success in China for the design and supply of a thermal solar receiver
at Haixi, CMI has just been awarded a new contract for engineering and supplying a
receiver for the Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum solar park
This huge concentrated solar power project named after the Emir of Dubai, is the
centerpiece of Dubai’s ambitious goal of generating 75% of the Emirate’s electricity
demand from renewable energy by 2050. When completed in 2030, the Solar Park will
have an installed capacity of 5,000 MW from an investment of approximately 12 billion
euros. Launched in 2013, the Solar Park’s first three phases are dedicated to producing
photovoltaic power. Phase 4, known as the DEWA project for Dubai Electricity and Water
Authority, is expected to cost over 3.3 billion euros. ACWA Power, one of the world’s largest
developers of CSP projects, won the development contract for Phase 4. ACWA Power has
selected Shanghai Electric as EPC. CMI Energy was awarded the contract for the solar
receiver in October 2018.
Improving energy security in Gaza through solar energy
The Palestinian Energy Authority and the World Bank launched today the Gaza Solar
Revolving Fund, a pilot aiming to install rooftop solar energy in Gaza for residential
consumers, businesses and hospitals.
The pilot model allows consumers to apply to the revolving fund for solar PV systems, with
the cost repaid in monthly installments into the revolving fund.
This Fund is financed through the Electricity Sector Performance Improvement Project,
developed in cooperation with the the World Bank. The agreement for the new business
model was signed between the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority and
the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. The launching event was attended by donor
representatives, local and international NGOs, ministries, representatives from the banking
sector and DEDCO.
The available power supply in Gaza meets only a small portion (35%) of the overall
demand resulting in rolling blackouts with less than 6 hours of electricity supply followed
by 12 hours of power cuts. During winter and summer peak load conditions, the situation
deteriorates, and power is only available 3-4 hours per day. This recurrent situation is
disrupting lives and livelihoods in Gaza.
A
lsoEnergy partners with survey digital for sales,
installations, and support in EMEA region
For AlsoEnergy, the top selling independent monitoring provider for commercial PV in
North America, this partnership is an opportunity to extend international coverage for
sales and support.
AlsoEnergy, a leading provider of monitoring and SCADA systems for solar PV, is
announcing a partnership with Survey Digital, a company specializing in sales, installation
& commissioning, and maintenance for solar inverters. Survey Digital has been designated
as a certified sales agent and service provider for AlsoEnergy in Europe, the Middle East,
and Africa (EMEA).
For AlsoEnergy, the top selling independent monitoring provider for commercial PV in
North America, this partnership is an opportunity to extend international coverage for
sales and support. AlsoEnergy has expanded international offerings over the past several
years and the Survey Digital partnership will enable further market penetration in the
EMEA region, providing localized sales and services for the AlsoEnergy product line.
Survey Digital will also assume frontline support service for the existing AlsoEnergy install
base in the EMEA region.
Solar
SolarQuarter
Quarter••December 2018 8
December2018
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w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 9

 Golbal News
$ 25.38/MWh bid sets new record low for 24/7 block
mixing wind and solar at Chile Tender
Verano Capital, an American project developer headquartered in Santiago, announced
that the 47 MW solar project they initially developed was selected in Chile’s latest energy
tender with a winning bid at $25.38/MWh, the lowest 24/7 block price combining solar
and wind ever recorded in the history of energy tenders.
The winning bid was offered by a solar project which will be coupled with wind projects
to offer a 24/7 supply over a 20-year period. Dylan Rudney, CEO of Verano Capital, who
originally designed and developed the solar project before partnering with the fund who
eventually took the project to bid, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the tender.
“It was an extremely competitive tender. Contracts were awarded at an average price of
$32.50/MWh, which represents a 75% drop from the peak of $130/MWh reached in the
2013 tenders. These are the lowest renewable energy prices we have ever seen on a 24/7
energy auction anywhere in the world. This will be most directly beneficial to Chilean
energy consumers, but it also underpins the changing trend in the energy industry,
where conventional energy sources are no longer able to compete with increasingly low
renewable energy costs,” said Rudney.
Verano Capital, whose core business is to offer turnkey development, EPC, O&M, and asset
management services to investment funds, has ambitious growth plans going forward.
Verano is the leader in the PMGD* development market in Chile, with five operating
utility-scale projects and five more to be commissioned in 2017.
S wRI solar activity research provides insight into Sun’s
past, future
Andrés Muñoz-Jaramillo of Southwest Research Institute and José Manuel Vaquero of the
University of Extremadura have developed a new technique for looking at historic solar
data to distinguish trustworthy observations from those that should be used with care.
This work is critical to understanding the Sun’s past and future as well as whether solar
activity plays a role in climate change.
“Scientists have been monitoring solar activity since Galileo made the first drawings
in 1612 by counting sunspots and groups of sunspots,” said SwRI’s Muñoz-Jaramillo, a
senior research scientist who is first author of a paper in Nature Astronomy outlining the
research. “However, putting all observations in perspective is quite challenging due to
wide-ranging observation techniques and telescope magnifications used. We see much
more now and our understanding of what we see changes the way we count spots.”
The team created a technique that takes all historic data gathered and digitized thus far
and combines them visually, to provide a complete picture of the data we have and where
are we missing information. Roughly every 11 years, the magnetic structure and activity
of the Sun cycle between periods known as solar minimum and solar maximum. During
solar maximum, the Sun emits high levels of solar radiation, ejects large amounts solar
material and displays large numbers of intense sunspots, flares and other phenomena.
During solar minimum, this activity is muted. Changes on the Sun cause effects in space,
in the atmosphere and on Earth’s surface.
T he first three-phase sma inverter with free monitoring
smart connected
Sunny Tripower 3.0-6.0 from SMA Solar Technology AG is now available worldwide.
The first three-phase PV inverter that is also designed for low power classes is being
launched with the SMA Smart Connected service and integrated communication for
module optimization. It ensures higher energy yields and investment security for operators
of residential PV systems and small, commercial PV systems. Installers benefit from time
and cost savings during installation and maintenance.
“Thanks to the new Sunny Tripower, it’s never been easier for our customers to utilize
solar energy and further reduce their energy costs,” said Nick Morbach, Executive Vice
President Business Unit Residential and Commercial at SMA. “SMA has designed a system
that not only increases energy yields and self-consumption, but also offers maximum
comfort for PV system operators.”
Maximum energy yields even in shading Weighing just 17kg, the three-phase Sunny
Tripower 3.0-6.0 is not only lighter than any previous Sunny Tripower devices, but also
exceptionally powerful. The PV inverter can be commissioned quickly and intuitively via
a smartphone or tablet using the web interface and features an integrated interface for
easily connecting TS4-R module optimizers, allowing modules affected by shading to be
optimized and system costs reduced as a result.
P
I Berlin Becomes An Approved Testing Institute For First
Solar Modules
The Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin has been accepted as an independent testing institute by
the thin-film module manufacturer First Solar.
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
The manufacturer officially recognizes the institute’s performance and condition testing
of Cadmium Telluride thin-film series 4 modules. Customers can therefore rely on the
independent testing conducted by PI Berlin, an institute with recognized expertise in thin-
film technology and manufacturing.
“We are pleased to recognize PI Berlin as an approved testing institute,” said Lou Trippel,
First Solar’s Vice President of Product Management. “It is crucial for us that independent
testing institutes perform at a consistent level and meet very specific standards in order to
correctly test and measure our modules. PI Berlin has clearly demonstrated their expertise
and proficiency.”
Investors and system owners will benefit from the approval of PI Berlin by First Solar
— primarily regarding project security. If module defects are found after delivery,
installation or operation in the field, First Solar will recognize testing done by PI Berlin
and acknowledge valid claims. PI Berlin will continue to work as an independent testing
institute commissioned by customers, not by First Solar.
I
nstallation of solar solutions on Jumby Bay island
completed
The twin-island state Antigua and Barbuda has taken a leading role in terms of clean
energy supply in the Caribbean.
This leadership has now once again been strengthened through the completion of eleven
sun2live and sun2roof solar installations on the small private island Jumby Bay in the north
of Antigua by the renewable energy provider PV Energy Limited. The implementation of
ground- and roof-mounted solar systems with a total capacity of 404 kWp represents a
crucial step towards a sustainable and economic energy supply for the island.
The installation of eleven sun2live and sun2roof solar systems, with an expected annual
energy production of 626 MWh, on Jumby Bay island has currently been completed. As
off now, 216.9 kWp of ground-mounted sun2live solutions and 186.82 kWp of sun2roof
rooftop installations contribute towards a cleaner power generation on the island, saving
438 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Until today, all the installed systems have already
exceeded the expected performance criteria and production benchmarks.
The roof-mounted systems have been installed on different buildings, such as offices,
workshops and a desalination plant in the center of the island. PV Energy thereby supports
the small island to become independent from expensive and polluting fossil fuels and to
benefit from the excellent climatic conditions for generating solar energy.
A
rgentina’s solar energy business is set to quadruple
Omron is ready to realise new photovoltaic business opportunities in Argentina.
Strong investments in renewable energies are an important result of the new political
situation in Argentina. The new President, Mauricio Macri, who has been in charge since
November 2015, established that green energy targets for the end of 2017 should be
at eight percent of total energy generation (Argentina currently gets less than 2% of its
power from renewable energy)
In July 2016 the Argentinian government started the second stage of PERMER (Project
Renewable Energy in Rural Markets) for the supply and installation of approximately 6500
solar photovoltaic equipment and internal installations in rural households of Catamarca,
Chaco, Entre Rios, La Pampa, Salta and Neuquén. The first stage of the PERMER project
ended in 2012 and enabled the electrification of approximately 1,800 schools, 350 public
services and 27,000 residences. This second stage aims to continue the electrification and
achieve universal access to energy.
Omron, worldwide market leader for industrial automation products, and, according to
IHS Research Q42015 one of the top five PV inverter suppliers worldwide, is ready to
realise these new opportunities thanks to the cooperation with Ecoenergy, a company with
Italian capital involvement, already working in the country.
B razil’s Ceara approves 264-MW solar project
Coema, the state council on the environment of the Brazilian state of Ceara approved
last week a solar complex project with about 264 MW of installed capacity.
Named Complexo Fotovoltaico Apodi, the project will require BRL 800 million (USD
245.18m/EUR 219.98m) in investments to be made in its seven solar farms. In total, the
complex will consist of 825,300 solar modules of 320 Wp each.
The solar plant, once completed, will cover four different cities. Its energy will be fed into
the grid via a 230-Kv overhead transmission line.
Of the seven plants, four are already secured through former energy auctions, while the
remaining three will take part in the next federal tenders, Coema said in a press release.
(BRL 1 = USD 0.306/EUR 0.275)
Solar
SolarQuarter
Quarter••December 2018 10
December2018
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w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 11

 In Conversation
“We Are In Process Of Enhancing Our Production
Capacity And Very Soon It Will Be Doubled.”
Mr. Bhavesh Modi, Director, Sanelite
Tell us about the current installed capacity of the company and what are
the investment plans for the coming year?
We are seeing a sharp growth of sale this year with supply of more than 10 MW pv modules
across the country and closing more than 5 MW EPC / rooftop projects in this year. We are
in process of enhancing our production capacity and very soon it will be doubled. We also
have a bit of supply overseas to Singapore and in Middle East Asian countries. From initial
focus on Gujarat, we are now rapidly covering whole of India with our increasing sales and
service presence.
Tell us more about the latest innovations in your product and solution
offerings for the Indian market.
While the PV module manufacturing space is where we have seen a constant technological
change ranging from number of bus-bars to merlin technology, we are striving hard to
keep ourselves upgraded. We have already tested and embedded the latest technological
innovations in solar PV modules space. We recently launched the highly efficient mono-
PERC modules, bi-facial modules and binary modules – modules with half-cut cells.
2018 has been volatile. Can you give us an insight of the highs & lows
of the company? How imposition of safeguard duty on import has
helped the domestic manufacturing sector?
Definitely. 2018 has seen two major issues going to and fro between various parties – the
implementation of Safeguard Duty and requirement of BIS standards. Clarity of safeguard
duty was less detrimental than uncertainty on the safeguard duty. Since now it’s already
there, what we have seen till now in the market is that safeguard duty is not impacting
much of the bigger EPC players. On PV modules making front, the safeguard duty along
with decline in prices of Chinese products, has reduced the overall prices and have made
our products competitive.
On EPC or Rooftop front, being one of the leading channel partner for GEDA, we have
seen the tides of the Gujarat market from close. While GEDA supported residential rooftop
program boomed in 2017-18, the subsidy was stopped abruptly sometime in Dec 17. This
has impacted the momentum of solar rooftop a lot. However, GEDA has again reopened
subsidy for solar roof top system in Sep 2018, and we are expecting surge in the rooftop
market.
“Growatt Has Been A Leading Inverter Brand In
The Rooftop Sector.”
Frank Qiao, Co-Founder and Sales Director, Growatt
Let’s begin with a glimpse of your Growatt’s presence and offerings in
India?
Up to now Growatt has been deeply engaged in Indian market for more than 7 years. We
provide a full range of PV grid-tied string inverters from 1 kW to 80kW, as well as storage
solutions including inverter and battery for residential, C&I and utility-scale applications.
What have been the latest trends in demand for your products &
services in India?
The latest trend in India is the local manufacturing and service network and these are what
we’ve been working on very hard. For local manufacturing, we are looking to finalize in Q2
of 2019. Regarding service network, currently our service center and warehouse are based
in Hyderabad. Furthermore, we have already established service offices in 8 major cities,
which enables us to provide on site service across India. Our toll-free service hotline has
also been set up to provide fast response for our customers.
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Are you content with the progress of the Indian solar industry and the
new policies being introduced by both state and central government?
What more would you like to expect from the government policies?
What we like about the current government policies are that they are highly progressive in
nature and made keeping in mind the Indian business. The recent examples we have seen
are the enforcement of safeguard duty and the requirement of BIS certification. After lots
of ups and downs, we finally see what’s there now, which helps up making better decisions
for our business. Another policy issue that’s catching everyone’s attention now is the GST
issue. Let’s hope it gets resolved soon in a positive manner.
On a different note, the policies adopted at national level are highly effective, but the
implementation in true spirit is lacking in some states. Approval of captive and open
access projects, reliefs for change in law, power curtailment/shutdowns of substations are
few areas that the government policies should focus and provide relief to the developers.
Government announced subsidies also take long time to materialize which is one more
issue to be looked upon.
Rooftop has been a growing segment. Do you see more business from
the off-grid market in India over the next 5 years?
Rooftop projects are beneficial to both – consumers as well as discoms, as the ever rising need
of electricity can be catered from right where it’s needed. Off grid market has huge growth
potential especially in remote villages, hills and farms which are still not directly connected to
the national grid. The maturity of storage technologies and availability of cost-effective storage
solutions hopefully will make off-grid applications more desirable. Additionally, government
programs such as Saubhagya Yojna will help boost the momentum.
How do you plan to achieve national expansion of your company?
Where do you think the major challenges lie in this expansion process?
We do have a strong 20+ franchisee network all over Gujarat. We are in process of
replicating similar model across India. With an established sales presence in Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Maharashtra, we already have succeeded in adding some of the major
centres including Delhi NCR, Bangluru and Jharkhand in our list. We are already geared
up to cater to rising demands with our constantly improving products, new catered and
specific product launches in the fiscal, stricter manufacturing processes and even better
customer service experience for our customers.
What are your growth plans for the Indian market? What are the
milestones you wish to achieve by the end of this fiscal?
Growatt has been a leading inverter brand in the rooftop sector and we have a lot of
advantages in terms of product lineup, quality, customer service etc. This fiscal year we
are targeting at 120MW capacity for rooftop solar in India. Additionally, since our large
capacity string inverter is now ready for sales, which is perfectly suitable for MW level small
projects, we are also looking at opportunities in this sector of India market.
Tell us a bit about the recent technology advancements in your sector?
Our most up-to-date inverter is the Growatt Max series with capacity up to 80kW. It comes
with 6 MPPTs, which makes PV configuration very flexible. Furthermore, the inverter is
designed with all necessary protections including type II SPD on both AC and DC side,
Anti-PID function etc. Its comprehensive functions of string monitoring, waveform
recording and IV diagnosis, on the other hand, will bring much more convenience for the
maintenance of the PV system.
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 In Conversation
“Goodwe’s Philosophy Is To Always Create Win-Win
Partnerships By Identifying And Integrating The Most
Advanced Components And Techniques.”
Mr. James Hou, Sales Head for South & East Asia, Goodwe
Let’s begin with a glimpse of your Goodwe’s presence and offerings in India?
GoodWe is a leading, strategically-thinking enterprise which focuses on research and
manufacturing of PV inverters and energy storage solutions. With 12 GW installed in more
than 100 countries, GoodWe solar inverters have been largely used in residential, commercial
rooftops, industrial and utility scale systems, ranging from 1.0 to 80kW. GoodWe inverters
offer reliable operation and excellent performance and are well recognized by customers
worldwide. MT Series string inverters (50-60kW) are most popular for Indian C&I solar
market, which can be successfully deployed on large scale commercial rooftops and ground-
mounted solar PV systems and can help further reduce installation costs while its power
boost function provides higher yield and a faster ROI. It is very proud that we have worked
with some of the most reputed EPCs/Developers on many large-scale C&I projects, ranging
from 5MW to 20MW, such as TATA Power, Bosch, and Sterling & Wilson, etc.
What have been some of the recent developments at your organisation?
GoodWe’s philosophy is to always create win-win partnerships by identifying and integrating
the most advanced components and techniques available while offering an unparalleled
after-sales service. A professional team of 10 authorized engineers can perform on-site
inspections, testing and debugging and providing repair or replacement if necessary, using
the latest techniques to maximize inverter performance while minimizing production or
process downtime. There will be more engineers joining us in 2019. GoodWe’s Mumbai
service support office is located at 1202 G-Square Business Park, Sector 30A, Opp. Sanpada
Railway Stn., Vashi, Navi Mumbai 400703.
Our production capacity in 2018 reached approx. 4 GW. In 2019, we are expecting to triple
it to 15 GW, as we will launch a brand-new production site, which expects a manufacturing
capacity of approx. 10 GW manufacturing capacity, which will be the largest string inverter
manufacture in the world. The proportion of each series of products in our total production
capacity remains flexible and can easily adjust depending on the market demand on order of
our clients. In near future, according to our plans, we will have two production facilities, one
“We Have Steadily Built Our Capabilities To Handle
Projects Of Larger Capacities Within Short Timelines
With Primary Focus On Quality And Customer.”
Mr. Vijay Khandwekar, Head of Module Mounting Structure Business, Solar, Tata International Limited
Your 1st solar Module Mounting Project commenced in 2012. Industry
has come a long way since then. How has your growth been in the last 6
years?
Our journey over the past six years has witnessed us provide module mounting solutions
for approximately 2 GW of Solar Power Projects. The growth has been significant with
105 MW in FY 2012-13 to 700* (Projected) MW in FY 2018-19. We have steadily built
our capabilities to handle projects of larger capacities within short timelines with primary
focus on quality and customer satisfaction. Focus on product improvement and vendor
development was the next priority. These strategies helped us greatly and this is evident
from the scale of projects handled by us in a single location starting from 20 MW in our
first year of business to 175 MW this year. Our persistent efforts to improve our strength
in design and execution has successfully helped us achieve a market share of 15% in
the addressable market. We aim to increase our market share substantially in the near
future and also expand our services by focusing on to rooftop solar EPC for industrial and
residential project.
How have your installed projects performed, financially and technically?
Has the feedback from your clients been up to your own expectations?
Product improvement based on design development has been one of our priorities.
Assiduous research has been put into developing high performance module mounting
structures with optimized weights without compromising on the technical requirements
and specifications. This has resulted in providing module mounting structures with a good
cost structure aided by Tata International’s inherent strengths. Since customer satisfaction
and quality are also our priorities, we feel that we have been successful in achieving good
reviews and feedback from our customers. This is evident from the fact that about 45% of
our order book is from existing customers placing repeat orders on us.
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in Suzhou New District and another in Guangde County, Anhui Province. Nearly $90 million
has been invested on it, $50 million out of which will be allocated to the upgrading of our
Headquarters in the New District of Suzhou.
Tell us a bit about the recent technology advancements in your sector?
Besides offering a comprehensive portfolio of string inverters and solutions for residential,
commercial and utility scale PV systems, GoodWe is committed to research and manufacturing
of energy storage solutions and smart energy management system. The brand new three-
phase high voltage energy storage inverter GoodWe ET Series enables enhanced energy
independence and maximizes self-consumption through export limit feature and time of
use shifts for reduced electric bills. Covering a power range of 5 kW, 8 kW and 10 kW,
it allows up to 100% oversizing to maximize power output and features Uninterruptible
Power Supply (UPS) function to inductive loads such as air conditioners or refrigerators with
an automatic switchover time of less than 10 milliseconds. While GoodWe Smart Energy
Management System (SEMS) is a comprehensive platform for visualizing and monitoring
all kinds of power plants. The main focus of the system is to improve O&M efficiency by
establishing an intelligent warning system which provides quick troubleshooting solution
to underperforming power plants. SEMS also generates customized charts and tables to
facilitate data analysis. This cost-free system will allow customers to overview their power
plants via web or smartphone application.
What are your growth plans for the Indian market?
We have already set up an office in Mumbai, with 10 staff on board. This year, we are looking
to take around 4-5% market share in India. Our local team will increase to 30 employees next
year, and we are targeting an increase of sales by 100% in 2019.
You are currently working on one of your single-largest solar plant
project (175 MWp). How has the execution process been with all the
hurdles that the solar industry saw in last few months?
Every solar project developed and executed has a unique list of challenges pertaining to a
wide spectrum of factors including local geography, technical criterion and commissioning.
Having executed multiple projects in almost every state in India, through our meticulous
research and planning we have been able to tide over these difficulties and deliver as per
our commitments to our customers. With this experience and capabilities we are now
confident of executing projects of even larger capacities exceeding 250 MW.
Are you exploring new opportunities in international markets as well?
What has been the progress there so far?
Export markets have always been on our targets. However we felt that it was important to
consolidate our market share in the domestic market. Since we have gained considerable
progress in this aspect, we now have a renewed focus on the international market as well.
We are in various stages of discussions with multiple developers and EPC contractors and
aspire to receive sizeable orders from them soon.
You have international players entering the Indian PV Solar Market.
What is your strategy to ensure that your current market share remains
with you?
Yes, there are many players entering the Indian PV Solar Market. However our unique
selling proposition is that of the design, manufacture, supply and installation of Module
Mounting Structures. There are a few internationally based companies entering this space,
but we shall rely on the inherent strengths and capabilities aided by our reputation to keep
our market share intact and further improve on it. Also going by the tender and plans and
projections that the Government has been announcing there are plenty of projects which
can be addressed by multiple players.
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w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 15
 INDUSTRY
Industry INSIGHTS
Insights

Investment Needs, Drivers & Barriers Of Rooftop Solar In India

We need to consider new models of financing as well as partnerships to be successful in
scaling up the solar technology present in the Indian market.
In the next five years, the rooftop solar sector
In order to reach the national target of 40 GW, rooftop solar capacity needs to increase
32-fold in the coming five years. Of the total installed rooftop solar capacity of 1.25 GW needs to increase 32 times from its present
(until Dec. 2016), the industrial sector has deployed the largest share, followed by the
commercial sector and then the residential sector (Figure1). Most of the remaining target capacity to reach the government’s target of
is also expected to come from the industrial sector (44%). To meet this target, the sector
has to increase its capacity by close to 37 times. The commercial sector also has to expand 40GW by 2022
its contribution by about 37 times to host its expected capacity of 12.06 GW. Though the
expected share of residential and public (government) buildings in the national target are
comparatively less, they also have to expand their contribution by close to 21 times to
meet the national targets.
The sectoral growth estimates are calculated based on the assumption that governmental
To meet the outstanding 38.75 GW rooftop
and residential buildings will contributeapproximately 10 GW to rooftop solar by 2022.

solar target by 2022, a total of INR 2.07 trillion

Investment needs to achieve the national rooftop solar
target (USD 31.8 billion) is required, in addition to
Given the considerable gap between currently installed and expected capacity by 2022,
current subsides and INR 2.52 trillion (USD 39
there is large need for investments in rooftop solar capacity. Estimates of investment
needed to scale up rooftop solar are subject to costs for solar panels, capital, labor and
billion) excluding subsidies.
operations, and levels of national and state-specific subsidies and taxes.
Table 1 shows the estimated investment needs of the rooftop sector for the outstanding
38.75 GW of solar power necessary to achieve the 2022 target. Based on our interviews
Rooftop solar offers significant and increasing costs savings
with municipal government officials in New Delhi and Surat, and the benchmark prices of
Cost savings are the key driver of rooftop solar in India:
rooftop solar, the estimated price for residential buildings is INR 70,000 per kW and INR
 In many Indian states and market segments, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)5
65,000 per kW for governmental, commercial and industrial buildings. In the calculations,
we have also considered the current levels of subsidies available for rooftop solar systems of rooftop solar is already lower than the existing average grid rates of tariffs paid.

across different types of states. Furthermore, we have also calculated a 35% tax on the  Rooftop solar is approximately 17% and 27% cheaper than the average industrial and
accelerated depreciation at the rate of 40%. commercial tariff respectively (Figure 3), without considering net-metering policies.
 Rooftop solar is also already achieving grid parity in the residential sector in states
Drivers for rooftop solar adoption in India such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.

There are many factors driving the adoption of rooftop solar in India. These include cost
savings, energy access, “green” benefits, and government mandates.
Figure1 (center): Shares of rooftop solar capacity by sector in India in 2016 and
Figure 2 (right): Expected shares of rooftop solar capacity by sector in India to
achieve 2022 target (38.75 GW)
 In the governmental sector, rooftop solar hasbecome competitive in Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
 In other states, the gap between rooftop solar and conventional sources of electricity
is fast decreasing.
Table 1: Capital investments needed for outstanding 38.75 GW of
rooftop solar in India by 2022

Figure 3: Average electricity tariffs for different states and market segments and rooftop solar LCOE
Note: Only the generation costs (i.e. LCOE)
has been considered as many states have
exempted renewable energy form paying
others charges such as wheeling charges
and cross-subsidy charges. Also, we
have not incorporated the impact of any
subsidy such as accelerated depreciation
in the LCOE calculations

Credit: Scaling up Rooftop Solar Power in

India: The Potential of Solar Municipal Bonds,
CEEW Report, June 2018

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w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 17
 INDUSTRY
Industry Insights
INSIGHTS

Solar Installations Will Light Up India’s Future Energy Prospects

The Government of India has set an ambitious target of achieving 175 GW of clean energy
generation by 2022. This includes 100 GW from solar power, 60 GW from wind power,
10 GW from biomass power and 5 GW from small hydro power. The largest renewable
capacity expansion programme in the world is being taken up by India. In order to achieve
the renewable energy target of 175 GW by the year 2022, the major programme on
the implementation of solar parks, solar roof top schemes, solar pumps etc. have been
launched during last few years.
solar has huge growth potential and deserves to be supported by policies, especially when
utility-level solar is facing challenges with respect to land and transmission connectivity.
Solar energy will light the way for India’s power needs in the years to come, and everyone
in the industry is looking expectantly at the horizon for the rise of a bright new growth
story.

A total of around 73.35 GW of renewable energy

Targets and Achievements for solar power generation
A total of around 73.35 GW of renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country capacity has been installed in the country as
as on October 2018 from all renewable energy sources which includes around 34.98 GW
from Wind, 24.33 GW from solar, 4.5 GW from Small Hydro Power and 9.54 GW from on October 2018 from all renewable energy
Bio-power. Further, projects worth 46.75 GW capacity have been bid out or are under
installation. The Government has declared the trajectory of bidding 60 GW capacity of sources which includes around 34.98 GW from
solar energy and 20 GW capacity of wind energy till March 2020. Projects worth each 30
GW solar power and 10 GW wind power capacity would be bid out each in the year till the
Wind, 24.33 GW from solar, 4.5 GW from Small
end of 2020.
Hydro Power and 9.54 GW from Bio-power.
Challenges to adopt
The current set of policies and the uncertainty around them could pose a problem to the
sector. Players with larger capital, especially global players could give a tough competition
to domestic medium-and-small players. Determining the financial viability of new projects
at declining tariffs will be a challenge for players. With the introduction of GST and Various policy measures have been initiated
lack of its clarity, tax exemptions like excise duty waiver will no longer be available for
solar projects. Moreover, the lifting of the stay on solar safeguard duty could impede
and special steps taken in addition to providing
India’s march towards its renewable energy targets. Considering that India’s has hugely
financial support to various schemes being
been depended on imports for solar equipment in the last three fiscals, this could lead
to unviability of solar projects. The other implementation challenges are a cumbersome
implemented by MNRE for achieving the target
process of land acquisition and limited evacuation of power.
of Solar capacity of 100 GW by 2022
Measures: Policy support and government intervention
Various policy measures have been initiated and special steps taken in addition to
providing financial support to various schemes being implemented by MNRE for achieving
the target of Solar capacity of 100 GW by 2022. These include, suitable amendments to Author: Mr. Rajya Wardhan Ghei serves as Chief Executive Officer,
India, Hindustan Clean Energy Limited, the domestic solar power
Electricity Act and tariff policy for strong enforcement of RPO, setting up exclusive solar vertical of Hindustan Power
parks, development of power transmission network through Green Energy Corridor Project,
guidelines for procurement of solar power through tariff based competitive bidding
process, orders of waiving transmission and losses from solar power projects. Also, rooftop

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 Cover Story
Big
Technology
Mr. Jianfei Li , Vice President/CTO, SINENG
ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
We witnessed the good government policy for new energy
and the steady increased PV installation in India recent years.
As a leading inverter company, we have high confident in India
market. With the capacity utility PV plants are growing bigger
and bigger, the high capacity central inverter is in great demand and the 1500V system
is the main stream technology considering lower system cost. We are always keeping
technical leadership in developing high capacity central inverter to satisfy with the market
Mr. Chetan Shah, Director,
Goldi Solar Pvt. Ltd.
Small Scale Solar Installations
Solar has very fast become the cheapest source of electricity,
gradually attaining grid parity and outcompeting conventional
power generation plants. Solar can reach its full potential only in
a dispersed / decentralized energy system onsite, which can be attained by installing small
scale solar plants. A dispersed energy system allows for optimal use of renewable energy,
reduces fossil fuel use and increases eco-efficiency.
The power industry has focused on developing large, central power stations which
transmit generation loads across long transmission and distribution lines to consumers,
which amounts to considerable loss during transmission. In contrast a dispersed energy
system seeks to put power sources closer to the end user, reducing transmission and
distribution efficiencies and related economic and environmental costs.
These small-scale installations will prove to be a fulcrum of a digitalized, decarbonized,
distributed and democratized energy system which will empower the consumer with
cleaner, cheaper and smart electricity available locally.
Mr. Honey Raza, CSO, Ginlong (Solis)
Technologies Co.,Ltd.
Solar Linked AC Coupled System
Particularly for the Indian Subcontinent and ASEAN region
the requirement and grid conditions are quite different and
intermittent. The regions have unstable grid and that’s the cause
of huge installation of decentralised USP (Uninterrupted power supplies) systems.Off grid
systems are gaining some demand but high OPEX year on year maintenance make the
customers shy away from the installing the system. AC Coupled system shall be gaining
high demand due to synchronisation with solar grid tied system as well and Battery system
of provisional system availability in case of any grid outages. Such system didn’t gain much
attraction because of the innovation phase of product life cycle, had premium linked with
such solutions. As the technologies are now gaining dispersion and reaching to mass
commercialisation stage, we expect to have such system at affordable rates. These types of
system shall have 96% to 98% efficiency as compared to the 85 – 90% efficiency obtained
in USP systems. This system fosters the better and efficient usage of grid tied system as
uptime shall increase in the case of any grid outages.
Hybrid System:
This system can combine more than one source of energy and allows the sharing of total
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
Trends For 2019
requirement. With the module price decreasing, the DC/AC ratio of plant is becoming
higher considering lower LCOE. The bifacial PV module has advantage of high yield with
both sides generating power and will be the trend for the future PV plant which will be
helpful for ROI. We are developing large capacity 1500V central distributed inverter with
multiple MPPT for perfect matching bifacial PV module and solving the mismatch problem.
Energy storage system will have more applications with the continual price decreasing of
battery and High DC/AC ratio. We have already prepared DC and AC storage solution
specially designed for PV plant in India.
Solar Integrated Smart Cities
The present-day cities are responsible for 80% of greenhouse emissions and consume 75%
of global energy. To tackle this issue the concept of smart cities came into being.
Smart cities use technology to create efficiencies, sustainability, economic development
and enhance quality of life factors for city dwelling people. They incorporate smarter
energy infrastructure.
Solar is the perfect matching partner to make this happen. This is mainly because solar
is the only agile renewable technology which can be heavily decentralized and can be
integrated into every component of a sustainable urban area like carports, street lighting,
solar powered charging points, large buildings and even single houses. Besides offering
a versatile solution, as it has the ability to be installed very close to consumption points,
this avoids grid losses.
Solar Mobility
EVs (Electric Vehicles) are quickly emerging as a global trend promising exciting
opportunities along with zeroing in on putting an end to vehicular emissions. This can
only be achieved by powering EVs using renewable energy. With the rapidly rising demand
and usage of EVs in the future, solar is the only flexible renewable energy which can come
to the rescue and justify the zero-emission purpose of EVs by avoiding consumption of
electricity generated by conventional norms and also reducing additional loading on the
grid.
load amongst these sources. These systems shall be prominent in solving the Government’s
last mile electrification in the state. Such products shall be vital for the rural as well as
the urban residential consumer market. The increase of digitalisation in the financial
transactions and IT enabled services are also acting as a push for such systems last mile
places. If you compared with this system with off grid system the reliability and battery
usability are better due to optimization of battery charging cycles and utilizing the sync
between different energy sources like solar and grid.
The system when clubbed with some support from the grid and LI-On batteries shall result
in system life with our any replacement up to 10 years.
Solar Wind Hybrid Plants for Utility scale
Solar and Wind are proving out to be the good solution for the optimal utilization of BOS
components already existing in the plant.
These could act as the complementary energy sources in which solar can provide the better
CUF for the whole plant. Transmission lines which are unutilized during night time can also
be exploited. Land can also be utilized well and expected saving from such plant can vary
from 10% to 30% depending on the plant. I am happy that SECI is taking progressive step
toward realization of such plants and recent bidding of such plant have got good response
from the developers.
Solar
SolarQuarter
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December2018
 Cover Story
Mr. Somashekar T H, Director - Chief Technical
Officer (CTO), Avi Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd.
How IOT based monitoring & analytics
platform is replacing traditional PLC based
SCADA solutions
With several Gigawatts of PV installations, huge amount of time series data from Solar
PV plants such as meteorological data, string level measurements, transmission loss &
generations data are collected. Such lengthy time series data from solar PV plants are no
doubt highly multi-dimensional and challenging to process, but the bigger problem is
getting clean data from various sensors in this case Combiner boxes, Inverters, MFMs &
WMS.
First generation SCADA comprised of rugged hardware called PLCs which connected
to various sensors and collected data in digital format for further processing. There are
plenty of SCADA systems with complex graphics, rugged PLC hardware, expensive servers
in control rooms hungry for high bandwidth connectivity to transfer data over internet. Is
that really what you need?
A Solar PV Power Plant needs mostly monitoring with few elements of controlling. Hence
you do not need a complex PLC based SCADA system. There are thousands of panels,
Dr. Weiming Zhang, EVP and CTO,
Heraeus Photovoltaics
The year 2018 was projected to be one of the best years for the
PV market and it lived up to this projection in the beginning of the
year. But, due to the China 531 policy and tariff announcements,
the market situation changed quickly. At the moment, the
market is in recovery mode and we expect PV market to be back
on growth trajectory from 2019 onwards. Also, on the positive side, 2018 brought in
and cemented some technology trends. Driven by the strong need for high efficiency
technology and low prices, mono wafers started to take over market share from multi.
The market share for mono wafers grew throughout the year in 2018 and will continue in
2019. Wafer prices have dropped dramatically, in particular for mono, and are currently at
$0.37/wafer. There have been several capacity expansions announced for mono, notably
LONGi announcing plans for 45GW by 2020. The need for high efficiency cells also drove
the requirement of mono wafers and the market share swiftly increased from 37% to 52%
through 2018 and we expect that trend to continue in 2019. At the cell level, mono p-PERC
currently dominates the market. The relative ease in processing and the modest addition
to cell processing required for manufacturing these cells combined with the high efficiency
potential were the main reasons for this rapid growth. Heraeus’ industry leading SOL9651
Mr. Brijesh Prajapati, Managing Director- India,
Sofar Solar
We are providing Local Sales-Service stock Availability, Product
availability as per Market response. Market strategy on HYBRID &
STORAGE Inverter & Coming with our new technology products
AUTOMOBILE ECO-CHARGER . To develop market with reliability, Products quality, prompt
service response
1. Complete product series of string inverters.
2. Choose high quality components, such as higher voltage thin-film capacitor.
3. Well-designed inverter cases: Die-Casting Housings go through Anti-corrosion and
Mr. S. Balaguru, Chief Technology Officer,
Avant-Garde
Bi-facial modules with single axis trackers &
surface preparation
Prelude
‘Use both sides of Paper’ – this quote is now applicable for PV
Modules too!
Renewed interest in bifacial modules with the advent of p-PERC modules from Tier-1
manufacturers in the last couple of years has prompted tracker manufacturers to capitalize
the advantage to improve their share in the Industry. On application front, surface
preparation for Albedo (measure of irradiance reflected from surface) improvement to
extract maximum yield from the system is greatly explored by the users.
Bifacial Modules:
Bifacial modules are not new, but TIME has come for this technology only now to get into
commercial scale! Though variants like HET & PERT have better bifaciality (ability for rear
side gain) upto about 90% with no LID loss and intrinsically bifacial n-type cells, p-PERC
variant (about 70-80% bifaciality) is likely to dominate the market owing to the entry of
more Tier-1 manufacturers by adopting little changes (like rear contact grid) over the
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kms of cables, tons of connectors which if monitored gives information on health and
performance of the PV plant. Equipment to be controlled are typically Inverters and
Breakers.
Key challenges faced by the stakeholders are mainly:
 Periodic maintenance and replacement cost of equipment’s at site.
 Un-noticed String failures.
 Efficiency & Unreliability.
 Lack of swift Service.
These challenges can be effectively addressed by continuous remote monitoring and asset
management system. IOT based monitoring solutions are very economical, will eliminate
cabling hazzles, reduces installation times and most important of all works on very low
bandwidth uplink. IOT based platform, rendering its services to other industries- from
simple sensors to smartphones and wearables – connected together. When the whole
world is moving towards the IOT, why not Solar Industry?
It’s high time to switchover from PLC to IOT based platform which works on GSM hotspots/
SIM cards, and can push the real-time data into the cloud server from the plant and one
can pinpoint the problem at field within a few clicks.
family of silver metallization pastes enable higher efficiency for PERC cells. In 2019, we
expect that passivated contacts, TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contacts) technology
to gain momentum. TOPCon greatly reduces the recombination losses and significantly
improves the Voc of the cell. We have already seen large scale implementation of this
technology on n-type cells. Heraeus’ SOL7100 series of screen print pastes enable lower
firing temperatures in order to reduce the impact of metal induced recombination, and
maintain high cell Voc while also providing excellent contact resistance, thereby resulting
in very high efficiency TOPCon cells. We expect that TOPCon technology will be a natural
progression for p-type cells, thus enabling higher efficiency over PERC technology and
bifacial modules.
At the module level, shingled modules will start to become more mainstream in 2019.
Shingling provides more active cell area in the module and reduces the cell-to-module
conversion losses. Another advantage of Shingled modules is that they can be made using
multiple cell technologies including mono or multi p-type, PERC, Bifacial, Heterojunction,
etc. Heraeus has developed an Electrically Conductive Adhesive (ECA), Hecaro®, which is a
reliable, cost-effective, fast curing and screen printable material that also enables shingled
modules. We expect Hecaro® to lead the market in 2019.
Anti- rust Protection processes
4. 4-inch diamond white-bright screen.
5. Support RS485/WiFi/GPRS/Ethernet for data upload.
6. Built-in SD card with 25 years data storage capacity for three phase inverters.
7. Support web portal for online monitoring and APP for mobile phones.
8. Support Zero export solution and PID solution.
9. Local technical support for whole India market.
10. SOFAR SOLAR Inverters and distributors are insured by US CHUBB Insurance
corporation company.
We are very flexible in OEM Segment . We are doing Customized OEM Business with
confidential Business Techno-Commercial terms with client.
well proven PERC technology with double glass arrangement, that comes with marginal
additional cost over the conventional modules.
Single Axis Trackers:
Fall of modules prices in the last 2-4 years was not helping the cause of single axis trackers,
even in tropical zones. But, the arrival of bifacial modules in new avatar is looking to
enthuse the tracker industry. Rear shadow avoidance is readily achieved for trackers with
two modules in portrait arrangement. Even the trackers with two modules in landscape
with end supported modules is an interesting option offered by a few tracker suppliers,
but this requires detailed study from wind load perspective & concurrence from module
suppliers. Modern day trackers with additional logics for back tracking, using diffuse light
sensors and site gradient adjustments, will also help in improving yield.
Surface Preparation:
Success of bifacial technology depends greatly on ground Albedo improvement. Among
the various options of Albedo improvement, one promising option in terms of viability is
to use surface sheets like the ones used extensively in farming sector.
Ground Albedo, which is typically in 15-20% range could be improved upto about 50%
by using proper mulching films or woven sheets, with a plan to replace them periodically.
Such surface covering arrangement will even help in reducing O&M cost, as this would
prevent weed growth and also help in reducing soiling of the modules.
Solar
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 INDUSTRY
Industry Insights
INSIGHTS

Integrated Solar Modules: The Next Step In Solar Design &

Technology

As the need for serious progress towards meeting renewable energy goals and sustainability Products to Consider
practices becomes more and more urgent, the solar industry is responding by making it
Among the innovative new products that are beginning to surface on the market are
easier than ever before for consumers to adopt technology that mitigates our impact
several different takes on integrated panels. Tesla, whose new technologies always
on our environment. Solar technology companies continue to grow and innovate their
generate plenty of press, has released a line of solar roof tiles with options that include
product offerings in order to provide consumers with more efficient, less expensive, and
textured, smooth, Tuscan, and slate. The “active” solar tiles look exactly like “inactive” tiles
more aesthetically-pleasing options.
to create a truly seamless look. Sunflare’s flexible SUN2 cell modules are ultra-thin and can
Over the past few years, there has been a push to make solar panels less intrusive, longer
conform to irregular roof shapes because they do not require framing or glass coverings,
lasting, and more effective. As a result, integrated solar modules are arriving on the market
while 3 IN 1 solar tiles offer a wide variety of colors and finishes, including completely
and increasing the design and installation options for consumers seeking to achieve their
concealed panels.
energy goals.
Another product line (which we’ve discussed using to create aesthetically pleasing rooftop
installations) is CertainTeed, a construction materials company that has recently expanded
Integrated Solar Technology
into solar tiles. Their Apollo II tiles match the profile of other concrete tiles to create a
Integrated solar modules, also known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), are
seamless, watertight roof with solar capabilities. MiaSolé offers flexible solar modules that
different from “traditional” solar installations (picture solar panels affixed to rooftops or to
can be fitted onto curved structures or incorporated into framing materials. Their product
metal frames) in a number of ways. While different manufacturers and products mean that
is so lightweight and low-profile it can even be used on the roofs of semi truck trailers.
not every integrated solar module is the same, the primary difference is that these new
solar panels can be directly integrated into building construction. So, rather than building As more options continue to become available to consumers, they will have a wealth of

a mount and frame for panels on top of a roof, for instance, an integrated panel serves as
the roofing material itself.
As the SEIA specifies, “Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are dual-purpose: they
serve as both the outer layer of a structure and generate electricity for on-site use or
options to consider when integrating solar panels into new construction or retrofitting
existing structures to include seamless solar capabilities. It’s an exciting time to be a solar
designer, and Solar Design Studio looks forward to sharing these new possibilities with our
clients as we create PV systems that accomplish their unique goals.

export to the grid.” This means that, unlike traditional installations, there is often much
less technology exposed to the elements, as connection points, microinverters, and power Credits: Mr. Bob Solger
Specialist in the Innovative Design and Application of Solar Energy Technology
optimizers are housed inside the panel rather than being external components.

Benefits of Integrated Photovoltaics

This new technology has been developed in response to consumer’s desires as well as
the logistics of solar installation and maintenance. The resulting products are easier to
install (especially when integrated into initial construction, but also when retrofitting
existing structures) and maintain over the lifespan of the panel, which is similar to that of
“Integrated solar modules, also known as
“traditional” external panels at approximately 25 years.
Solar Power World notes that “Installers love that integrated panels just plug in to each building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), are
other without any high voltage DC. This makes installation much safer and panels can be
different from “traditional” solar installations
shut down individually if needed.” In addition, “because of their plug-and-play technology,
integrated systems can be expanded without problems” which allows consumers to easily (picture solar panels affixed to rooftops or
scale their installations up or down as their needs change.
to metal frames) in a number of ways. While
For consumers, integrated photovoltaics require less maintenance and may experience
fewer complications as a result of housing more components internally. These panels are different manufacturers and products mean
also less susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain, and hail because they are
integrated into the building structure rather than separate from it.
that not every integrated solar module is the
Perhaps the most exciting aspect for solar consumers, however, is that integrated panels same, the primary difference is that these new
can be seamlessly included in the design of their homes or buildings. As design elements,
they can be almost invisible or create visual interest of their own if desired. Integrated
solar panels can be directly integrated into
panels are rated for roof construction and are just as watertight, insulating, and durable as building construction.”
the traditional roofing materials that they replace or interface with.

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
SolarQuarter
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 Industry Insights
NEW
Solar inverter launched
20000TL/25000TL/30000TL/33000TL-G2
Perfect match for
commercial rooftops and utility projects
Scaling Rooftop Solar
Introduction
Solar electricity tariffs in India have declined significantly in recent years, making rooftop
solar (RTS) an attractive investment for commercial and industrial consumers. This has led
to increased deployment of RTS systems among consumers in these categories, primarily
to hedge the risk against increasing tariffs of grid electricity. However, in the residential
category, even though RTS systems are economically viable for highertariff consumption
slabs, adoption has been minimal, with scale-up not growing as expected. Approximately
49 per cent of the total RTS potential in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is in
residential buildings, followed by the industrial, commercial, and government building
sectors. This presents a huge market opportunity, especially with RTS systems becoming
cheaper year-on-year. In addition, the rising trend of electricity tariff and a conducive
policy landscape make the RTS option quite attractive. Recognising this context and the
role of RTS in increasing the share of renewables in the city, the Delhi government has
implemented a much-needed solar policy that focuses on RTS above 1 kW. The policy has
set a target of 2 GW cumulative installed capacity by 2025 which would cover 21 per cent
of the city’s peak load.
Besides including unique provisions like group and virtual net-metering, the policy also
offers generation-based incentives (GBIs) for a limited period of time and mandates all
government buildings with roof area greater than 500 m2 to deploy rooftop systems within
five years. In addition, the policy also calls for exemptions related to various transmission,
open-access, and cross-subsidy charges. Another notable feature of the policy is its
emphasis on the role of electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in facilitating the
adoption of RTS in the city. The policy requires DISCOMs to take measures to ensure
smooth and streamlined net-metering connection and system integration for consumers.
At the national level too, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is
implementing the Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Power Programme which is intended to
encourage the DISCOMS to facilitate the faster adoption of RTS by incentivising them to
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
· Max 98.6% Efficiency
· Smart Monitoring
· 7 years Warranty
· Local Service
Web: www.sofarsolar.com Email: info@sofarsolar.com
increase deployment in their license area. The scheme, which is named SRISTI (Sustainable
Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India), is being reviewed after
stakeholder consultation. Once it is implemented, it will provide incentives to the DISCOMs
to install incremental RTS capacity from a base year, through the INR 14,450 crore (USD
2.2 billion) earmarked for this purpose from the central financial assistance (CFA) scheme.
Despite the favourable policy environment, the rate of adoption of RTS remains very
low due to several market challenges. Even though the market is becoming increasingly
favourable for most consumer categories, it has yet to reach a point where RTS gains a
commodity status. RTS continues to be viewed as an investment, and the falling prices
of solar, the longer payback periods, and the lack of confidence in the 25-year life of RTS
stand in the way of higher penetration, especially in the residential sector. There is also a
supply gap in this sector created by the major solar players who target niche markets with
high credit ratings, leaving out a large proportion of consumers.
The conventional rooftop business offerings are ineffective in addressing the challenges
that exist in the market and hence there is a need for innovative business interventions to
make RTS a viable option for all consumer segments. Indian DISCOMs could potentially play
an important role in the RTS market by leveraging their close relationship with consumers
and institutions, thereby maintaining their position in the market while addressing several
of the challenges faced by the stakeholders.
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), in partnership with the Delhi
electricity distribution company, BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), has developed three
utility-led business models to address the existing market challenges and to create a
conducive environment for DISCOMs, consumers, and developers. Thus, the main objectives
of the business models are to address the market challenges faced by stakeholders, make
rooftop solar a viable option to all domestic consumer categories and thereby accelerate
the RTS deployment in the BYPL licence area. The following section explores the market
challenges, examines the business models, and assesses their economic viability.
Credit: Scaling Rooftop Solar, Powering India’s Renewable Energy Transition with Households and
DISCOMs, CEEW Report, June 2018
Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter ••December
December 2018 23
2018 23
 INDUSTRY
Industry Insights
INSIGHTS

How Energy Storage Can Facilitate Solar Integration

In India, with the ever-rising fossil fuel imports and rapid urbanization choking many cities
with harmful pollution, the need for adoption of clean energy became more a compulsion
than a choice. India is moving rapidly towards RE. With increased investments and clean
energy installations, as well as the world’s largest renewables auction market, today we rank
no. 2 after Chile as per 2018 Climatescope report by Bloomberg NEF. India has surpassed
Japan to become the world’s third-largest market for solar power, and is projected to claim
the number two spot from the United States later this year. Storing energy is as crucial as
generating renewable energy. Essential to the successful growth of RE and EVs is energy
With the rapid adoption of solar energy in India, there is a strong need for exploring the
role of energy storage for facilitating solar integration. Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy is launching a National Energy Storage Mission for addressing the needs for energy
storage at transmission level for ultra-mega solar parks, at distribution level to increase
adoption of roof top solar and campus microgrids as well as for off grid systems for energy
access. Under the proposed National Energy Storage Mission (NESM), the government
would soon release policy with a focus on ‘Make in India’ and the government is planning

storage. to take all possible measures to incentivize advanced energy storage manufacturing in

If we really want to achieve the proud tag of global renewables powerhouse, we have to
become the global leader in energy storage. A clear and ambitious strategic roadmap
along with decisive action is required to take the lead on the energy storage front.
India is aggressive looking to add 227 GW of renewable energy capacity by March 2022
and is aiming to achieve 100 GW of solar energy capacity by 2022.The challenges for India
in meeting its ambitious target are the ability of the grid to integrate variability associated
with renewables, as well as the huge investment required to upgrade the transmission
and distribution infrastructure. The solution lies in advance energy storage that can help
India.
NESM also addresses the issues related to the raw materials available for manufacturing
and the government had already started discussions with resource rich countries such as
Bolivia and Australia. The Indian government has already extended a red carpet welcome
to US-based storage, solar and EV specialist Tesla to set up a Gigafactory in India. There
are similar discussions ongoing with a few other major manufacturers.
Apart from Li-ion technology, India must look into other emerging technologies like flow,

to better integrate these renewables by providing multiple values to the system, such as sodium-air, zinc-air, and aluminum-air batteries. IESA’s vision is to make India a global
optimizing T&D investments, addressing forecasting errors in wind and solar generation leader in the adoption of energy storage, micro grids and EVs. We are consistently working
for more accurate scheduling, addressing local reliability issues by providing reactive power with industry and policy makers to make India a global hub for manufacturing of these
support, and enabling end users to manage peak load, and more efficient utilization of emerging technologies by 2020. We have also set a goal of reducing the cost of electricity
distributed renewables.
from micro grids in India by 30% to 50% in the next 3 years and are working to bring
With the rapid reduction in cost of both solar and storage, customers can see solar + together various stakeholders to achieve this dream.
storage as alternative for peak power from grid. At the same time, utilities can avoid
Energy Storage is the enabling link between solar, EVs and grid. In 2019 a lot of moving
investments in Peaker capacity or eliminate load shedding by utilizing these resources.
and rapid change in the market is expected. The need of the hour is to shift our focus from
This transition is supported by significant push for Giga factories for advanced energy
storage technologies such as li-ion that is driving down the cost of energy storage at a discussions to action and immediate implementation of some large scale projects. We are
pace even faster than the solar PV cost reductions witnessed in past decade. Grid scale confident that with platforms like Energy Storage India 2019, energy storage ecosystem
energy storage projects have witnessed costs to fall below $300 / kWh from over $1000 / will also get newer avenues, thought exchange and effective roadmaps for advanced
kWh just 5-6 years back. It is anticipated that with scale up of deployment and also setting energy storage technologies, regulatory and policy issues, renewable integration, future of
up of local manufacturing we can witness further reduction by at least 20-30 % with in solar power in India, make in India, rural microgrid and off grid and a lot more. Consumers
next 3-5 years. As a result we are seeing range of projects at 100s of MWh scale getting
also need large level of awareness and must realize the long lasting positive effects and
implemented globally from US, Europe, China, Japan, Australia and even in South East Asia.
accept & adopt alternative energy solutions. Government and Industry together can
Through the fast scale up of solar anticipated under National Solar Mission, energy storage
develop a favorable investment scenario to build a storage system for dependable energy
can play a critical roles in India. Firstly, energy storage would be required for smoothing
distribution.
of the short duration intermittency caused by cloud / dust and secondly it can provide
options to shift solar energy for 2-4 hrs. Per day to meet the evening demand.
Globally, energy storage is being increasingly seen as an alternative to build peak power
plants. Reserve energy storage systems are also capable of providing black start operations.
Energy storage integrated with RE generates a smooth and firm output that is controllable,
which subsequently reduces transmission congestion. It also has the potential to reduce
the size of transmission and distribution infrastructure for the evacuation of intermittent
generation. A key application for energy storage in transmission is to defer the investments
on the upgrade for new capacity projects to overcome congestion.
The National Electricity Plan (NEP) highlights the role of energy storage in maintaining
grid security with increasing penetration of RE in addition to addressing the intermittency
of RE to a large extent. At the consumer’s end, energy storage can be used as a back-up
power while reducing the use of diesel consumption and integrating with solar rooftop PV
systems, as well as a standalone back-up for reducing demand charges.
India is fast becoming the global hub for the largest of solar parks. India has approved
plans for 14 solar parks larger than Solar Star. Most of them lie in India’s northern deserts
and southern parts. Through the right policy support, large scale solar parks with 100 MW
and above could easily integrate energy storage to help improve the power quality and Author: Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, Executive Director, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA); Chair, Global
reliability issues that grid can face with rapid integration of solar energy. Energy Storage Alliance (GESA) and President & MD, Customized Energy Solutions (India)

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 24

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 24
 Industry Insights

Market Challenges For Stakeholders

All stakeholders in the RTS industry face various challenges that need to be addressed Table1: Market challenges for stakeholders
by any intervention that is being planned. The different market challenges faced by the
stakeholders are as follows.
Consumers
Consumers who wish to install RTS face issues like higher upfront cost and lack of access
to finance. The majority of consumers still lack awareness about the benefits of, and the
processes involved in, installing rooftop systems. There are also consumers who do not
have roof ownership or lack access to suitable roof spaces. The long roof lock-in period of
25 years is a major concern for some consumers.
Developers
For developers, the smaller size of the rooftop system, the non-uniform characteristics of
rooftops, and the fragmented distribution of installations contribute to higher costs of
procurement and installation of the systems. For the same reason, access to finance for
small rooftop developers becomes a challenge. Delay in approvals and other regulatory
processes, the cap on solar system sizes due to limitations on transformer capacity
and sanctioned load, and consumer inertia are some of the other challenges faced by
developers. The collection of payments from a decentralised consumer base also presents
a high transaction cost for developers.
Financiers
The creditworthiness of solar developers and consumers is a major concern for
financiers when it comes to RTS owing to its small and distributed nature. It also requires
disproportionately high transaction costs and is an administrative hassle for banks, due
to which the latter are reluctant to undertake large-scale RTS financing for the residential
sector.
DISCOMs
DISCOMs face a major risk of revenue loss because most early adopters are high-paying
consumers. This also affects the crosssubsidy because the tariff collected from the high-
end consumers is insufficient to cover the subsidies to the subsidised consumers and the
burden eventually falls on all segments of the consumers as the overall tariff increases.

Credit: Scaling Rooftop Solar, Powering India’s Renewable Energy

Transition with Households and DISCOMs, CEEW Report, June 2018

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 25

 Product Feature

PVFix - ‘Standing Seam’ PV Module Mounting Structure For

Metal Roof
PVFix is a brand of solar mounting structures developed by Sunshot Technologies. After
working for 5 years executing over 150 projects, because of lack in the availability of quality
solar mounting structures, Sunshot decided to take the initiative of designing developing
cutting-edge modern mounting structures.
Though solar mounting structures come right after the modules and inverters, the
structure’s design engineering is not given needed attention as solar modules inverters.
The module mounting structure is an equally essential part because it holds the costliest
investment in the projects i.e the solar modules. In a market driven by innovation and
cutting-edge technologies; Sunshot Technologies is proud to present, PVFix an all new
range of solar mounting structures. Most of the solar mounting structure players have
limited exposure to practical requirements of the EPC from installation, layout design,
longevity of the plant generation perspective. Taking this into consideration, Sunshot
started developing its own PV module mounting structures from scratch with help of in- Fig: Standing Seam’ PV Module Mounting Structures
house experienced engineering design team. The structure designs are refined over the
period after extensive trials. As a result, now, PVFix has an excellent product line that could Highlights:
solve common challenges faced by small as well as a large solar EPC player. � Non-penetrative structure – clamps directly to roof
PVfix has an entire portfolio of the solar module mounting structures available for the � Enable higher generation
variety of roof types that we see in India; be it a metal roof or RCC roof. Generally, roof is not
� Leakproof installation
maintained as good as other building areas. Therefore, roof conditions need to be taken
into considerations while designing engineering solar module mounting structures. Also, � Standard prefabricated components

other factors such as installation time, ease of installation, fixing method with base of roof, � Designed for safety
leakage protection are equally important. PVFix is designed engineered keeping in mind � Simple to maintain
these parameters learnings distilled from 5 years of experience across 150 installations
� Long service life
more than 1000 sites. We have a portfolio of more than 8 variety of the structure designs
catering to different requirements in the rooftop market. � Optimal cost

� Excellent corrosion resistance

Technology Specifications: � Middle and end clamps suitable for different module frame thickness

Product Description:
‘PVFix - Standing Seam’ structures are suitable for various standing seam metal roof
profiles like Kalzip and Klip-lock and can be customized as per requirement using 3D
printing technology.
Advantages:
� Easy to install customized structures designed and manufactured by PVFix enables EPC
companies to commission power plant in record time period

� ‘PVFix-Standing Seam’ structures help to construct power plant without any variation or
Technical Parameters:
alteration in the existing roof
� Designed for wind speed as per IS 875-3
� Using ‘PVFix -Standing Seam’ structures, solar modules can be installed along with roof
� Made up of high-quality Aluminum material – AI6063 T6 Grade curve that improves aesthetics of the facility
� Tested for pull out strength of 2.8 KN

Pricing Trends For Solar PV Systems In 2018

We employ a bottom-up modeling methodology to track and report national average PV Fig 1.
system pricing for the major market segments. Our bottom-up methodology is based on
tracked wholesale pricing of major solar components and data collected from interviews
with major installers.
In Q1 2018, system pricing fell in all market segments besides residential. System pricing
fell by 1%, 2% and 1.8% in the non-residential, utility fixed-tilt and utility single-axis
tracking markets, respectively, while system pricing remained the same in the residential
market. After two quarters of pricing increases across market segments, system pricing
began to fall again. This quarter-over-quarter change in pricing was mostly spurred
by the fall in module prices. Once the Section 201 module tariffs were announced at
levels below market expectations, market certainty helped to drive down module costs
– uncertainty during H2 2017 had led to substantial price premiums. Additionally, low
procurement during Q1 2018 contributed to price declines compared to Q4 2017. These
factors outweighed the actual module tariffs, resulting in lower module pricing in Q1 2018.
The stagnation of system pricing in the residential market can be attributed to rising
customer acquisition costs. We have seen customer acquisition costs steadily increase
over the past four quarters, causing system pricing to rise in some quarters or producing
a net-zero change in overall system pricing.
Much of the market was in stasis in Q1 2018. Stakeholders throughout the value chain
were waiting to see what the impact of the Section 201 trade case would be before
changing course on pricing, technology selection, procurement strategies, construction
management techniques or internal operations. -Mr. Sunil Rathi, Director- Sales and Credit: SEIA/GTM Research U.S. Solar Market InsightTM Report
Marketing, Waaree Energies ltd

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter •• December 2018 26
December 2018
 Product Feature

Why choose SOFARSOLAR Inverters?

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter ••December 2018 27
December 2018
 Product Feature

We Are Focusing On The Silicon Crystalline Based Product Using High

Quality Of Raw Materials.
Sova Solar Limited was established in 2008 to manufacture and market cost effective

high quality solar photovoltaic products for grid-connected, off-grid power plants, solar “Our photo voltaic modules are produced with
water pumps etc. We are focusing on the silicon crystalline based product using high
an efficiency of up to 20.08% with positive
quality of raw materials. We are supplying our products as per our customers’ needs which

are supplied to the domestic and international customers. The machineries used for our tolerance of 5%. We are making 72 cells/66
production are of best qualities, like, Team Technik, Germany; Spire Corporation, USA etc cells/60 cells/54 cells/48 cells/40 cells/36 cell
supported with complete automation without robotics. The modules of the company
modules ranging from 5Wp to 340Wp. By using
are IEC certified and BIS approved. Our modules are PID free and 100% EL tested. Apart

from that the products have got the certification from TUV Rheinland, ERTL, Solar Energy high efficiency cells we are producing the higher
Centre, MNRE, Govt. of India. Besides this, we will promote PERC cells for solar module
watt peak modules.”
manufacturing in near future. As well as we are introducing solar panels with maximum

system voltage of 1500 volts for increasing performance of the solar modules.

Featured Product
“Our ambitious target is commercial and
Sova Solar Limited is one of the leading solar module manufacturing in India. We have an

annual capacity of 200MW per year on fully automatic machine with technological support industrial sectors that have more enthusiasm for
and guidance from M/s Spire Corporation, M/S Team Technik, Germany, Auto well. We their large power bills. They have justified their
are basically the producer of poly crystalline module. Recently we have adopted a new
expense of the solar power system. As well as
technology called Mono–PERC to produce the modules. Our photo voltaic modules are

produced with an efficiency of up to 20.08% with positive tolerance of 5%. We are making we have a target of electrifying the residential
72 cells / 66 cells / 60 cells / 54 cells / 48 cells / 40 cells / 36 cell modules ranging from 5Wp
areas and rural areas which will increase India’s
to 340Wp. By using high efficiency cells we are producing the higher watt peak modules.
power consumers’ sectors.”

Technology Specifications
We are basically using p type-doping cells to produce the modules in the case of Poly

crystalline silicon based cells are used. After producing the modules the Short circuit

current(Isc),open circuit voltage(Voc), maximum power point voltage(Vmpp), maximum

power point current (Impp), maximum power output (P max) are maximum in this module

type.

Technology Advancements

Now a days we are using a new technology Mono-PERC. In this technology, efficiency of

the modules are very high (upto 20.08%). For this advancement, lower area of modules can

produce higher output. Recently we have implemented dual stage EL checking. We expect

that it will help in increasing our efficiency in this market. Besides this, we are introducing

solar panel with maximum system voltage of 1500 volt which increases power density and

performance of the solar PV module. Besides this, it will reduce the losses in DC cables,

reducing capital costs, susceptibility to PID increases. It is expected that in the next five

years 1500V system would see an increased market penetration around 95%.

Targeted Customer Segment

Our ambitious target is commercial and industrial sectors that have more enthusiasm for

their large power bills. They have justified their expense of the solar power system. As well

as we have a target of electrifying the residential areas and rural areas which will increase

India’s power consumers’ sectors. As well as we have a target market in foreign countries

also. We have already sent our modules in USA, Japan, Germany etc and the output is

satisfactory for all these countries. In near future, we are trying to export our modules in

other countries.

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter •• December 2018 28
December 2018
 Product Feature

All Module Ranges Have Been Certified To Highest Global Quality

Standards
Saatvik Green Energy is a new age solar technology company, involved in the manufacturing
of high quality solar modules. The current product portfolio includes solar modules of all
ranges starting from 40Wp up to 350Wp in both 4BB and 5BB. Saatvik uses both poly-
crystalline and mono-crystalline cells to assemble these solar modules, coupled with
multiple rounds of testing during and after the manufacturing process, ensuring the
highest quality product for its esteemed customers. All module ranges have been certified
to highest global quality standards.
Saatvik has successfully delivered more than 75 MW solar modules in its first year of
operation, which have been successfully installed at various government buildings,
government utilities, railway stations, hotels and universities. Apart from manufacturing,
Saatvik has also forayed into Solar EPC services, making it an integrated solar company.

Featured Product
Saatvik’s SGE 60M and SGE 72M Mono Series, has successfully completed testing for the
entire range of IEC certifications, which gives Saatvik further competitive edge in the solar
industry. Saatvik supports continuous adoption of new and advanced technology by the
solution providers, and endeavors to provide them with the same for overall growth of the
industry. Usage of Monocrystalline panels gives an additional advantage to the solution
providers as they can install more capacity in limited space. Saatvik is able to achieve up to
18.78% module efficiency with Monocrystalline modules. � IP67 junction box with extended cable
lengths for easier installation.
Technology Specifications � Double stage EL tested.
SGE Mono Series is assembled on the same platform as the highest selling SGE Poly series,
� Extended Mechanical load tested up-to 5400 pascals.
offering maximum reliability to its clients. It delivers a module level efficiency of as high as
18.78%, has high resistance to PID, can withstand 2400 Pascal wind load and 5400 Pascal � 25-year linear power performance warranty.
snow load. The current range offering is from SGE 72M – 335Wp to 350Wp. � 10-years workmanship warranty.
� Also, available with black back sheet and black frame.
Technology Advancements
� High module conversion efficiency. Targeted Customer Segment
� Outstanding power performance even at low irradiance. We are targeting solar developers and EPC companies to help them achieve highest yields
on their installations. They will get additional advantage over the already existing range of
� High PID resistant.
SGE Solar PV modules. This product is most suited for large scale projects, as well as high
� Easy to mount and ground. electricity consuming industries, commercial spaces, with paucity of roofs, so that they can
maximize their solar generation.

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 29

 Tech Insights
Solar Wind hybrid Plant: Technology & Policy Update
A hybrid power plant in simple terms is a plant which generates power by using two or
more sources of energy. These sources could be either conventional or non-conventional
or both. Such power plants are preliminarily useful as they reduce dependency on a single
source while also enabling the power plant to produce more power output. Now with the
world’s focus on non-conventional power sources (solar and wind energy predominantly)
it is important that such sources are utilized to their maximum potential. While individually,
these sources have been performing quiet fair, there are still few concerns which needs to
be addressed in order to utilize these sources efficiently. A simple yet innovative solution
is hybridization of this technology or a hybrid solar wind plant (shown in Figure 1). Similar
to the other hybrid plants, here both solar PV panels and wind turbines could generate
electricity and feed it into the grid. With the target of 10GW by 2022 from such hybrid
plants and with both the central & various state governments supporting this idea, hybrid
plants are poised to increase. This blog thus aims to educate its readers on the basic
technical details along with the advantages of such hybrid plants.
Before understanding the technicalities of hybrid plant, it is important to understand why
such plants are necessary at the first place. Its advantages are mentioned as below:
1. Complementary power generation: The first and foremost advantage of such hybrid
plant in the complementary power generation. The solar power plant produce energy
during the daytime whereas wind plants are generally known to produce (more)
energy during evening and night (compared to daytime). The individual generation
curves of solar and wind plant as evident from figure 2 below are intermittent in nature
and could not adequately match the overall energy demand. This is where the hybrid
power plants could be of utmost importance. Superimposing both these generation
curves they could manage the overall demand to some extent (as shown in figure
3). Additionally with the central/state regulators pressing against providing schedule
and forecasting of renewable power plants such hybridization (along with storage)
could help power generators to closely match the given schedule while helping the
SLDC/RLDC/POSOCO in getting power generation values (with certain tolerances) and
balancing the against the power demands.
2. Increased capacity utilization factor (CUF): A capacity utilization factor in simple
terms is the ratio of actual energy generation of the power plant to the maximum
possible generation in such period (24 hours, 365 days in a year) under operation.
A solar power plant (due to the limitation on availability of sun) has a CUF varying
from 16-21%. A wind power plant (location wise variation of wind at different heights)
may have CUF varying from 20% to 26%. This means that for about 74 to 84% of the
time, the plant remains idle without any generation. Studies however suggest that
CUF ranging from 35% to as high as 50% (in few cases) have been obtained for hybrid
power plants. This means that a higher energy per watt could be obtained which
primarily improves the plant statistics while holistically reducing the LCOE of the power
plant (compared to LCOE of individual power plant).
3. Increased utilization of transmission capacity: Utility scale renewable energy plants
are usually located quiet far from load centers. This means that adequate transmission
infrastructure is required to transmit such power to load centers. Individual power
generation curve of solar and wind plants clearly suggest that such transmission
infrastructure remains un-utilized. With tens of lakhs required to erect a HV
transmission substation, it is important to utilize it to maximum. This is where a solar
wind hybrid plant comes into play. The hybrid plant due to its complementary nature
of generation (as we explained above) could utilize such infrastructure more efficiently
when compared to individual plant.
4. Efficient usage of land: The next advantage is that the hybrid power plants efficiently
utilize the available land space. The land requirement of a utility scale power plant is
in between 4-6 acre/MW. A wind turbine may vary in sizes and power output, however
most commonly it would occupy an area ranging from 10 to 50 acre/MW (Source:
NREL) (the wind turbine only occupies 5% of the area). The land savings per MW
in hybrid plant could be as much from 10-30%. Additionally with same transmission
infrastructure used to evacuate power, such costs could be reduced too.
5. Easier renewable energy purchase obligation (RPO) achievements: A RPO as the
name suggest is an obligation for an entity (i.e. state distribution companies, open
access customers and captive generators) to source a part of their energy need from
renewable energy sources. It is divided into 2 components i.e. solar and non-solar RPO.
While an enforcement of RPO is in place, (baring mere a few) as almost every obligator
has been a defaulter. A hybrid power plant would help where both solar and non-solar
RPO of an obligatory entity could be fulfilled.
(Source: Google images)
Figure 1: A solar wind hybrid plant
w ww ww w. .s so ol la ar rq qu ua ar rt te er r. .c co omm
As we mentioned above, the solar wind hybrid plant would be of importance given their
advantages compared to the individual plant. With such understanding in place, let us
understand the technical scheme in practice for a hybrid power plant. There are two
categories by which there hybrid plant could be erected. They are:
1. AC coupled hybrid plant: An AC coupled power plant as the name suggest is the
one where the individual power plant are interconnected at AC side. A single line
diagram (SLD) for an AC integrated hybrid power plant is shown in Figure 4 below. The
configuration of both solar and wind power plant here remains almost comparable to
the individual standard plant with their output most likely integrated at HT panel of
AC yard after individual meter. This ensures that the utility company knows the exact
generation from each plant and financial settlements could be done accordingly (if
PPA for the solar and wind plants were signed individually at different rates). Such
integration may be perfect for plants existing solar/wind power plant are hybridized
with new wind/solar power plant. This type of system would be more perfect for fixed
speed wind turbine given the fact that they are directly integrated to the grid (using
intermediate induction generator).
2. DC coupled hybrid plant: A DC coupled hybrid power plant (as shown in Figure 5)
on the contrary is the one where the DC power output of individual is connected to
a common DC bus. This entire power output is then converted to AC power by using
a common inverter which is further connected to the grid. Such plants are termed
in the market as “true hybrid” because they use the evacuation infrastructure to the
maximum. This configuration is more often suitable for new power plants and/or for
specifically with plants having variable speed wind turbine. This is because the capacity
of common bus, inverter and the protection on both DC & AC side would require
adequate planning which is not possible in existing plant. If optimally erected, such
hybrid plant could offer a potential savings from INR 5-10/Wp.
While the technology is in place, it was necessary that a policy specific to this technology
was passed. This was also to ensure that in addition to erecting new plants, the existing
solar/wind plants were given fair chance to upgrade their power plant by adding
appropriate capacity of wind/solar power plant. The MNRE has released the solar wind
hybrid policy where both AC & DC coupling is allowed, however to be termed as hybrid
plant, the power capacity of one resource should be at least 25% of the rated power
capacity of other resource. The hybrid plants are encouraged to sell the generated energy
with all the available business models i.e. captive consumption, sale via open access, sale to
Distribution Company via bidding or at APPC. It also allows power plants to install battery
storage given its various benefits. Few states (Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh) have realized
potential of hybrid plants and have released draft policies (hybrid policy of Gujarat is
finalized and notified). With more states realizing its potential, such plants would increase
in years to come.
We at Waaree Energies could help you set up solar power plant at ideal locations. With an
experience of executing more than 500+ MW EPC projects, the customer could be ensured
that their plants would be up and running for more than 25 years.
Let us all pledge to make solar energy the primary source of energy in the near future.
(Source: Gujarat SLDC)
Figure 2: Power output generation curve; solar power (left) & wind power plant
(right)
(Source: Google images)
Figure 3: Super imposed generation curve of solar and wind energy in comparison to
energy demand
-Mr. Sunil Rathi, Director- Sales and
Marketing, Waaree Energies ltd
Solar
SolarQuarter
Quarter• •November 2018 3030
December2018
 Industry Insights

DISCOM-led Business Models

To effectively accelerate the deployment of solar rooftop systems among residential
consumers in the BYPL area, the DISCOM needs to deploy business models that suit
each of its different consumer segments. Given the solar value chain (Figure 8), the
DISCOM can take up a combination of different roles to tailor the value preposition to
a target consumer segment. The DISCOM can leverage its position effectively in the
solar value chain through avenues such as payment assurance and financial guarantee,
energy services, consumer aggregation, and supply aggregation.
individual households and the building society committee, issues of financing remained
unresolved. Unless the society members are able to pay upfront, it is difficult for them
to acquire financing because societies cannot avail long-term debts. Under the RESCO
model, many of the societies do not qualify for the necessary credit and are unable to find
a guarantor.
Fig 1: DISCOM as facilitator

Considering the different consumer categories served by BYPL, as well as the strengths
and the position of the utility, the following business models have been identified to
have the most impact in increasing the adoption of RTS systems in its license area and
in addressing major market challenges.
Source: BSES Yamuna

i. Utility-led community solar: on-site and off-site

models
ii. On-bill financing model
iii. Solar partner model: supply and demand
aggregation

While most of these models have been successfully

adopted elsewhere, they have been customised
to the current context through various additional
mechanisms devised to address the challenges
that are pertinent to the city.

In Delhi, one of the DISCOMs, BSES Rajdhani, has

recently undertaken consumer aggregation for
residential societies in Dwarka where interested
consumers can reach out to the DISCOM, which, in
turn, connects them to developers. However, this
model also faces many challenges when it comes
to implementation. Besides the issues related
to gathering support from multiple parties like

Box 1: Different solar metering provisions

in India

Gross-metering:
In the case of the gross-metering scheme,
solar electricity from the RTS photovoltaic
(PV) system is fed directly into
the grid. Consumers receive payment
from DISCOMs for solar generation at a
predetermined tariff.
Net-metering:
In the case of the grid-connected RTS PV
system, net-metering allows consumers to
feed excess electricity into the
grid which they can use in another time
block. Normal meters are replaced with bi-
directional meters which record
electricity flow in either direction. At the
end of the month, the total amount of solar
generation is adjusted in the
electricity bill and consumers are only
required to pay for the net consumption from
the grid.
Virtual net-metering:
In the case of virtual net-metering, consumers
receive solar electricity credits in proportion
to their ownership of a
shared community solar system. Solar
electricity credits are adjusted in the electricity
bill and the consumer only pays
for the net electricity consumption.

Credit: Scaling Rooftop Solar, Powering India’s Renewable

Energy Transition with Households and DISCOMs, CEEW
Report, June 2018

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter ••December 2018 31
December 2018
 Product Feature

Gsolar Power Is Committed To Developing & Promoting

Technology Of PV Industry.
Gsolar Power Co.,ltd is committed to developing and promoting technology of PV industry,
We are mainly producing solar cell and module testing equipment, such as Solar Cell
Tester, Solar Simulator, EL Tester, Auto Cell Cutter, Auto Cell Tester & Sorter and so on.
Gsolar invented the First EL and PL detector in China and is the Only PV equipment
producer that has TUV/CE certification in china. We export machines to France, Romania,
Poland, German, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, USA ,Africa, Spain, Croatia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia
Venezuela, and so on

Strategy
1) Lead PV industry development, and Build international first class equipment
manufacturing enterprise
2) Create value for customers and society, and Make staff and company grow together
3) Integrity operation, Leading technology, Keep improving, Win-Win cooperation
4) Sincere, Persistence , Commitment , Dedication

Business Scope
GSOLA mainly has 3 series products, Solar Simulator, EL Tester and Solar Cell Cutter.
Solar Simulator includes: AAA class solar simulator for mono and poly crystalline solar
modules testing. A+A+A+ class solar simulator for PERC, HIT, HJT, N type, IBC, Shingled,
half-cell module high efficiency solar modules testing. Double-Side Illumination Solar
Simulator for BI-facial solar modules testing.
GSOLA EL Tester resolution is up to 63 Mega Pixel, it helps solar module manufacturers
control quality and improve modules quality.
The Auto Cell Cutter uses contactless technologies, which reduce the efficiency losses in
cutting process and ensure max power output.

Quality Control
GSOLA has TUV, CE and ISO Certifications, and every one year, we have at least 10 patent
certification more.

Customers & Partner

GSOLA is serving all of top 20 solar module manufacturers in the world, such as TRINA,
JA, GCL, RISEN, JINKO, TALESUN, LONGI, LERRI, YINGLI, JOLYWOOD, HANERGY, HT SAA,
VINA SOLAR, BOVIET......
Besides, over 67 Indian solar module manufacturers are using Gsola tester, such as BHEL
,TATA , EMMVEE , HHV, WAAREE, GOLDI GREEN NAVITAS ,ALPEX, RENEWSYS ,PREMIER
SOLAR , GreenKo Group , ACME……

Ambitious Project
A+A+A+ Solar Simulator

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter •• December 2018 32
December 2018
 Industry Insights

Using Municipal Bonds To Finance Rooftop Solar Developers

There is both an opportunity and challenges of using municipal corporation for the operation and management services being carried out by local developers. Globally, the
acceleration of rooftop solar. Therefore, if municipalities are to play a role in the necessary third-party financing model has been a significant driver of growth in the rooftop solar
acceleration of rooftop solar in India, they will need to look for new sources of finance sector. However, the third party financing model has not picked up in India at the rates
and business models to spur the required development. This will also require building expected due to the lack of availability of debt capital at competitive cost, which affects
partnerships with local solar developers and other stakeholders in the domestic and even the ability for companies advancing this business model to scale.
international financial markets. Thus, to achieve further scale for the OPEX model for rooftop solar in India, alternative
There are two business models to deploy rooftop solar methods of financing should be considered.
in India.
� The first one is the CAPEX model in which the consumer fully owns finances and
consumes the energy generated by the PV system. Consumers in the CAPEX model are
Credit: Scaling up Rooftop Solar Power in India: The Potential of Solar Municipal Bonds, CEEW Report,
fully responsible for all capital expenditures, and bear all risks of operations, management, June 2018
and maintenance. The
CAPEX model accounts
for approximately 84% of
currently existing rooftop
solar systems in India and is
mainly driven by commercial
and industrial operators (BTI
2017).

� The second model, is

the OPEX model or the third
party financing model in
which a renewable energy
service company (RESCO)
provides all the necessary
capital and is responsible
for installing, operating,
and maintaining the rooftop
solar system in exchange
for a fixedtariff Power
Purchasing Agreement (PPA)
with a customer, or multiple
customers. This model is
also referred as third-party
financing model.

As CAPEX model is a self-

funding model for the
rooftop solar projects as
far as the end consumer
is concerned, it does not
require much financing
support from external
entities. On the other hand,
the third party financing
model requires significant
debt investment from the
capital market. Hence, the
municipal corporation can
collaborate with the rooftop
solar developers to facilitate
the access of the debt capital
from the capital markets
under the OPEX model route.
The OPEX model has been
proposed as one of the
promising solutions to
address several barriers
to scaling rooftop solar
discussed in section 2.3.
According to a previous
study (CPI 2016), the third
party financing model is
expected to dominate the
rooftop solar market, given
its benefits for consumers of
no upfront and installation,

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar
Solar Quarter
Quarter ••December 2018 33
December 2018
 Technology News
T ackling Water
Shortage with Solar
Power
Water and its management is the biggest challenge that India faces today. Nearly 600
million people, half of the country’s population, are facing high to extreme water stress.
About 70 per cent of the water is contaminated. And by 2030, India’s demand for water is
likely to become double of the available water supply.
The effect of this scenario could be adverse on India’s economy, with some experts
forecasting a massive 6 per cent loss in the country’s GDP because of the same. Needless
to say, major interventions are needed immediately to make the use of water sustainable,
efficient and guided by a deeper understanding of how our water resources can effectively
be managed for future generations. Join the conversation and make a difference.
To ensure access to water for all, India needs to look at new ways to obtain and sustain
usable water. Solar technology plays a big role in this.
� The United States is using a water generation technology powered by solar energy. This
technology creates potable water out of air using nothing but salt and solar power.
� Israel, a global leader in desalination, is leveraging a low-cost, scalable, and eco-friendly
technology which uses only the power of the sun to purify seawater.
� Saudi Arabia has launched a major solar power initiative that will cut the cost of water
production by 40 percent.
With India facing its worst water shortage in history, it’s time to push for sustainable water
development immediately. Become a part of this revolution. Participate or visit Water
India Expo starting from 22 to 24 May, 2019 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.
N ew Solar Panel
Material Can Take
More Heat
A new synthetic material will make solar energy a more cost-effective, efficient, and reliable
source of power.
Clean energy is at a crossroads. To become a viable replacement for fossil fuels, solar power
plants must first improve their efficiency to match the electrical output of nonrenewable
energy sources. This relies heavily upon the innovation and development of new products
that absorb and exchange heat at higher temperatures.
Heating Up
Unlike the solar panels on hybrid cars or residential rooftops, the ones found in solar
power plants are massive and numerous. They absorb as much thermal energy from the
sun as they possibly can and channel that heat into a fluid-filled converter called the heat
exchanger.
There, supercritical CO2, a liquid version of carbon dioxide, acts as the medium in the
energy conversion. The hotter the fluid gets, the more electricity that can be produced.
Still a new technology, using supercritical CO2 as the medium fluid lowers electricity
and manufacturing costs and promises greater efficiency for future power plants,
researchers say. However, the current metal materials used to construct heat exchangers
in supercritical CO2 energy cycles are only stable up to 550 degrees Celsius, according to
Dorrin Jarrahbashi, an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at
Texas A&M University. If the heat rises above that, the components begin to rapidly break
down and lose effectiveness—and ultimately need replacement.
To combat this, researchers created a new composite material from a combination of
ceramic and tungsten, a refractory metal, that can withstand temperatures over 750
degrees Celsius. This leap in heat absorption could increase the efficiency of generating
electricity in integrated solar and supercritical CO2 power plants by 20 percent.
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m
N ew Brilliant Iron
Molecule May Be
the Key to Cheap Solar
Energy
Scientists are looking at some of the most unlikely sources for energy production, partly
motivated by academic and research objectives, and partly to create a new framework of
energy production and extraction.
Though some raise eyebrows due to perceived feasibility challenges like China’s artificial
sun ambitions, or the device that was developed to convert exhaust into renewable energy,
the sheer number of examples of creative energy generation are truly inspiring.
Now, researchers have produced an iron molecule with photocatalytic promise, and it
could provide large benefits in terms of both (1) electricity generation in solar cells and (2)
fuel production. As iron is a more plentiful and cheaper to supply source of metal, this will
also have an impact in the industry.
Advanced Molecule Design Leads to Progress
A growing body of research in the last decade has shown the strong potential that other
metals can have in photocatalysis, with scientists focusing on iridium and ruthenium more
and more “due to the access they provide to new synthetic spaces through new reaction
mechanisms”. The challenge, however, lies in how rare they both are.
The team produced its results by altering their approach to the molecular coordination,
which allowed them to create an iron molecule that resulted in iron-based light that was
observable at room temperature, a first in science, although their work builds on previous
studies in the same area. “The good result depends on the fact that we have optimized
the molecular structure around the iron atom”, explains colleague Petter Persson of Lund
University, who was also part of the study.
C oncentrated
Photovoltaics
Achieve Solar
Conversion Efficiency
Record Of 41.4%
We know a lot about solar panels. We hear about Solar Roof products from Tesla.
Concentrated solar power is showing promise in some large scale applications.
Concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) is a type of solar power that falls somewhere in
between all those other categories but doesn’t get a lot of attention. It uses lenses and
curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto small, but highly efficient, multi-junction solar cells,
according to Wikipedia. In addition, CPV systems often use solar trackers and a cooling
system for even greater efficiency.
Last week a research consortium called CPVMatch, which is funded by the European Union
and led by Germany’s highly respected Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Research,
announced that its latest experimental CPV solar module has achieved an incredible solar
conversion efficiency of 41.4%. The secret to the new module is the use of achromatic
lenses that focus incoming sunlight on miniaturized multi-junction solar cells. A two-axis
solar tracker is also employed to boost efficiency during the day.
CPVMatch has been working toward the goal of making CPV technology production-ready
for the past 3½ years. It has merged the efforts of researchers in Germany, Italy, Spain, and
France. It is not enough to set records in the laboratory if the results cannot be translated
into commercial products at an affordable price.
By using new materials, processes, and manufacturing equipment, they have created
innovative cell architectures for multi-junction solar cells. In addition, they were able
to improve the design of the high concentration modules by modifying the optics and
making use of achromatic lenses. “We are extremely pleased about these results that pave
the way for further efficiency increases in the concentrator technology,” says Dr. Andreas
Bett, director of Fraunhofer ISE.
Solar Quarter • December 2018 34
Solar Quarter • December 2018 34
 Technology News

P erovskite solar cells:

cheaper production
and high efficiency
N ew property
revealed in
graphene could lead
to better performing
solar panels

A team of chemists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania together with An international research team, co-led by a physicist at the University of California,
physicists from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) science institute, Germany are offering Riverside, has discovered a new mechanism for ultra-efficient charge and energy flow
novel approach for the selective layer formation in perovskite solar cells. The molecule, in graphene, opening up opportunities for developing new types of light-harvesting
synthesised by the KTU chemists, assembles itself into a monolayer, which can cover a devices.
variety of surfaces and can function as a hole transporting material in a perovskite solar The researchers fabricated pristine graphene — graphene with no impurities — into
cell. Less and cheaper materials are being used in the process.
different geometric shapes, connecting narrow ribbons and crosses to wide open
Perovskite-based solar cells are fast forwarding to the front of emerging photovoltaics, rectangular regions. They found that when light illuminated constricted areas, such as
already competing on efficiency against well-established solar technologies used in the region where a narrow ribbon connected two wide regions, they detected a large
solar panels around the world. An important step towards mass production of this new
light-induced current, or photocurrent.
generation solar cells is the development of efficient selective contact layers that would
The finding that pristine graphene can very efficiently convert light into electricity
be compatible with the deposition of perovskite layers on various substrates.
could lead to the development of efficient and ultrafast photodetectors — and
Spin-coating and vapour deposition are the two main methods which are currently
potentially more efficient solar panels.
being used for the formation of the layers in perovskite solar cells. Spin-coating involves
Graphene, a 1-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has
dripping liquid solution on spinning surfaces; during the process large quantities of the
many desirable material properties, such as high current-carrying capacity and thermal
material is being lost. Vapour deposition needs high temperatures and complex vacuum
conductivity. In principle, graphene can absorb light at any frequency, making it ideal
technologies, besides, not all the molecules are suitable for evaporating.
material for infrared and other types of photodetection, with wide applications in bio-
KTU chemists have synthesised a molecule assembling itself into a monolayer, which can
sensing, imaging, and night vision.
evenly cover any oxide surface -- including textured surfaces of the silicon solar cells used
In most solar energy harvesting devices, a photocurrent arises only in the presence
in tandem architectures.
of a junction between two dissimilar materials, such as “p-n” junctions, the boundary
The synthesised material had to be tested. The team of physicists of HZB in Berlin,
between two types of semiconductor materials. The electrical current is generated in
Germany headed by Dr Steve Albrecht, in collaboration with KTU doctoral student Artiom
the junction region and moves through the distinct regions of the two materials.
Magomedov successfully used this new material as a hole transporting layer in perovskite
solar cells.

J apan Display unveils

smart bus stop that

STOP
runs on solar power and EXCELSIOR
ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
can display schedules

WASTING YOUR ORGANIZATION`S

HIRE
Japan Display Inc. unveiled a smart bus stop Tuesday featuring a 32-inch screen that runs
VALUABLE TIME & RESOURCES
solely on solar power and internal batteries.
&
The product, developed jointly with partners including Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co.,
consumes very little power and does not require power source installation work. It can be
used even during blackouts stemming from natural disasters.
Japan Display plans to install the device at up to 2,000 locations from 2019 in the city of
Kitakyushu, where a demonstration test for the smart bus stop is underway.
Bus schedules and other information shown on the stop’s liquid crystal display are
updated through communications technology. The bus stop can also be used to display EXCELSIOR ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS.
advertisements, local information, and directions to emergency evacuation centers in WITH OUR TAILOR MADE
TECHNICAL SERVICES
the event of a disaster. A Japan Display executive emphasized the company’s wish to
strengthen product development. At present, smartphone displays for Apple Inc. and
other makers account for a large part of its sales. EES ENGINEERS SIMPLY
“We need to do something new in a shift away from our intense devotion to mobile WORK AS YOUR IN-HOUSE
devices,” Managing Executive Officer Yoshiaki Ito told a news conference.

In Japan, there are 500,000 bus stops nationwide with nearly 90 per cent with no power
ENGINEERING TEAM
supply. This means an off-the-grid, cost effective installation is a requirement for the
project. By combining E Ink low power display technology with low power, wide area
(LPWA) wireless technology, the bus stop displays can be easily installed using solar
power only – without power or network cables.

“It is expected that this will facilitate widespread fulfilment across the bus network in
the future, therefore benefitting more users and helping to boost service adoption,”
Design & Project Management 3rd Party Independent Plant
commented Rado Skender, Director of Business Development at Papercast. Engineering Consultancy Review Audit
Managed remotely through the Papercast data management platform, the multi-lingual
displays will present live bus arrivals, timetables, route data, route transfers, service
info@excleng.com 022-2778 3636
alterations and a range of other travel advice.

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 35

w w w . s o l a r q u a r t e r . c o m Solar Quarter • December 2018 35
 Company News
H ARTEK bags 400-KV power
grid order
Hartek Power, the EPC arm of the Chandigarh-based Hartek Group, has bagged a
prestigious order from the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd for augmenting an extra
high-voltage 400-KV substation project spread over three states.
Encompassing Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, the project will cater to a population
of about 7 crore. The scope of work of the project entails complete execution of the
substation package involving conversion of fixed line reactors into switchable line
reactors with the purpose of curtailing outages. The project, which will go a long way in
strengthening the northern grid, is scheduled for completion by February 2020.
Under this PGCIL project, Hartek Power will convert fixed line reactors to switchable Line
reactors so that these devices can be optimally used to curtail line outages at 400-KV
substations located in Ballia and Sohawal in Uttar Pradesh, Kankroli in Rajasthan and
Abdullapur in Haryana.
Current-limiting devices which counter rapid variations in voltage, reactors stabilise the
frequency at which electricity is transmitted and distributed by filtering the disturbances
in the power system. Switchable line reactors have a distinct advantage over fixed line
reactors as unlike fixed line reactors, they can better deal with the surges in voltage by
deactivating the flow and cutting off the supply. Fixed line reactors, on the other hand, can
only regulate the flow of voltage and are more prone to breakdowns as they have to run
continuously with no provision of shutting down and disconnecting the flow.
Working on a war footing to augment the transmission and distribution infrastructure
in sync with the unprecedented increase in power generation in recent years, the PGCIL
is heavily investing in upgrading low and high-voltage substations to extra high-voltage
substations so as to ease the pressure on transmission lines caused by rapid surges in
electricity flow.
A pioneer in setting up power systems, Hartek Power has created immense value in the
T&D value chain, as reflected in its execution of more than 200 high-voltage and extra
high-voltage substations and transmission lines.
S unel and Huawei Partner to
Promote the Development
of Solar Photovoltaic Globally
Sunel Group, a world-renowned EPC contractor and developer, signed a comprehensive
cooperation agreement with Huawei Smart PV in Huawei Shenzhen Headquarter.
Mr. Konstantinos Zygouras, CEO of Sunel Group and Mr. Chen Guoguang, President
of Huawei Smart PV Global Sales and Service, as well as many other senior leaders
attended the signing ceremony to announce a wide-ranging partnership, especially
for MENA, East Europe and UK. In 2019, the total cooperation pipeline will be 500MW-
600MW, with the first project of 26MW being constructed in Malawi, at which Sunel will
implement the Huawei STS (Smart Transformer Station) and other new technologies.
Within the scope of its global growth strategy, Sunel has reached the development,
design and execution of more than 2 GW of solar PV projects in more than 25 countries
so far. Having a highly customer oriented strategy, Sunel has long term collaborations
with many international investors, supporting them in several countries, delivering
high performing projects, adding value to their investments by generating higher
yields, increasing reliability and providing long lasting solutions.
“We believe that combining the Huawei smart products with our customer oriented
services, we are going to add more value and generate a reliable, sustainable business
model that will be implemented with success. The solid presence of Huawei and Sunel
globally, jointly assures our customers for the continuous support of their investments
in the long term, guaranteeing high returns, an effective and high standard O&M
package and resulting to a lower LCOE.” Mr. Gonzalo Navarro, CTO of Sunel Group, said:
“Solar PV market is globally transforming and indicates that only with high flexibility,
continuous innovation and reliability we can overcome any challenges. These are the
values we saw in Huawei and decided to partner for our projects.”
Mr. Zygouras pointed out that MENA is a very competitive market. It offers great
opportunities if the challenges are managed effectively. The low figures of IRR in the
investments are pushing the contractors and suppliers to provide smarter solutions
that can generate lower LCOE figures and be reliable for the long term.
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L ubi Solar - Set To
Revolutionize The Indian
Power Industry
Lubi Solar is a leading solar manufacturing company in India. The company has a rich
history in India and diversified into solar business in 2012.
The company owns a 150 MW manufacturing facility spanning across 30,000 square feet
area equipped with world class machinery.
Today Lubi Solar offers solar modules, rooftop solutions and solar water pumps to its
customers. The company provides total turnkey project development solutions starting
right from design, development, construction, and maintenance of on-grid solar systems.
Lubi Solar offers both mono and polycrystalline solar modules. Solar panels manufactured
by Lubi Solar comply with stringent international standards. Lubi solar panels are highly
efficient made by using high efficiency cells procured from globally renowned suppliers.
The modules deploy 5 busbar solar cells which improve the overall efficiency.
The monocrystalline solar modules are available in 290 W – 310 W and 350 W – 370 W
range. These modules have a higher module conversion efficiency of up to 18.57% from
using PERC technology. On the other hand, polycrystalline solar modules are available
in 260 W-275 W and 310 W – 330 W variants. These panels come with 25 years of linear
performance warranty.
In just a short span of time, Lubi Solar has installed several grid-tied rooftop solutions
ranging from 25 kW to 1 MW in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan etc.
Lubi Solar is a leading solar pumping systems supplier in India. Most of the solar pumps
can be conveniently used in flood irrigation of small fields, drip irrigation for farms, cattle
watering and water supply for small villages.
The Indian power industry is witnessing a revolution and companies like Lubi Solar are set
to bring a change in the industry with a wide range of solar products and solutions, a large
footprint, and rich history of the Indian market.
C ooperation Of Solar-Log™
And Guangzhou Sanjing
Electric Co., Ltd
Solare Datensysteme GmbH, manufacturer of the Solar-Log™ Monitoring system, and SAJ,
manufacturer of PV inverter have come to the conclusion to further develop the interaction
between professional Monitoring and Energy Management as well as professional inverter
technology in markets like Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, Poland and other markets as
well.
Starting this November 2018, Solar-Log™ is now compatible with SAJ PV inverter types and
able to visualize and monitor all important values provided by this professional inverter
manufacturer from China.
In the near future mutual customers will have the possibility to buy attractive Sales Packages
including SAJ inverter and Solar-Log™ Monitoring & Energy-Management-System. These
Sales Bundles will be offered by SAJ directly and their distribution partners in different
countries.
First mutual projects are already realized in Poland, Sweden and Chile.
“The cooperation with SDS allows us to offer our customers a flexible and high efficient
system including a professional Monitoring solution in combination with our SAJ inverter.
We are happy to have a professional partner giving us the possibility to combine our
professional PV inverter with Solar-Log™ functionalities like optimization of self-
consumption, Feed-In Management, Smart Energy and many others, said Lina Wong,
Director of Global Business at SAJ.
Markus Grünwald, Global Strategic Business Coordinator at Solare Datensysteme GmbH
says “SAJ is an experienced and valued partner in the area of PV inverters and knows
how important it is to offer a professional Monitoring & Energy Management System in
combination with PV inverters. We are delighted that we can support SAJ’s activities in
global market with our products and solutions.”
The participants of the excursion on the premises of Solare Datensysteme GmbH
(Solar-Log™)
Solar Quarter • December 2018 36
Solar Quarter • December 2018 36
 Company News

J inkoSolar Joins 49 Global

Businesses To Urge
Governments To Step Up Fight
Against Climate Change
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., today joined 49 major global businesses with total revenue
of US$1.3 trillion in signing an open letter urging governments to increase collaboration
and step up the fight against climate change.
Leaders from the Forum’s Alliance of Climate Action CEOs are committed to using their
positions to help meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals. Thirty of the companies that
signed the open letter reduced their emissions by 9% between 2015 and 2016, the
equivalent of taking ten million cars off the road for one year.
S ofarsolar were Voted As The
Most Preferred Inverter By
Consumers
Sofarsolar Attended Inter Solar India Exhibition And Were Voted As The Most Preferred
Inverter By Consumers.
The Intersolar India Exhibition was held in Bangalore International Exhibition Centre.
Sofarsolar, one of the world’s largest solar inverter and hybrid inverter companies in China
showed its top selling products and the latest inverters in this exhibition, which attracts
the attention of many Indian customers. At the same time, Sofarsolar won the award
named “Solar consumer choice brand awards 2018”.

The open letter was signed ahead of the UNFCCC climate conference in Katowice, Poland The Indian market is not new to Sofarsolar. In 2016, Sofarsolar branch was established.
where government leaders met this week to review progress towards delivering on the Since then, Sofarsolar has kept the high position in India solar inverter market.Now all
goals set in 2015. products are widely used through ground, industrial, and commercial power stations,

Alliance leaders call for greater public-private cooperation to accelerate effective carbon which have been immensely well-received by Indian customers.

pricing mechanisms and policies to incentivize low-carbon investment and drive demand During the exhibition, Sofarsolar was voted as the most preferred choice by consumers,
for carbon-reduction solutions. They also highlight the business case for cutting emissions won the award named “Solar consumer choice brand awards 2018”. Why is sofarsolar
to generate wider support in the private sector. widely recognized in the Indian market?

JinkoSolar announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September
30, 2018. Total solar module shipments hit JinkoSolar’s record high of 2,953 MW, an
increase of 5.7% sequentially and 24.4% year-over-year. Total revenues were RMB6.69
billion, an increase of 10.5% from the second quarter of 2018 and an increase of 4.3%
from the third quarter of 2017. For the full year 2018, the Company estimates total solar
module shipments to be in the range of 11.5 GW to 11.8 GW.
“This is one of the last chances we have to reverse course and we should act now before it’s
too late, especially when grid parity is just around the corner,” commented Mr. Kangping
Chen, Chief Executive Officer of JinkoSolar.
Vice President of Sofarsolar, David Zhong, has released comments stating that we try to
do two issues in the Indian market, one is to do a good products, the other is to do a good
service. During these years, Sofarsolar has put quality and service as the most important
criteria in the design, production and daily operations.
With the continuous growth of the power demand and cost throughout India, the country
has been focusing on accelerating their transition to renewable energy sources. Sofarsolar
will seize the market development opportunity, launch more solar inverters suitable for
market demand, deepen services, further expand the Indian market, and increase the
share of Indian market.

Part of Hosted by

L ongi Solar Named Tier-1

Module Manufacturer In Q4-
2018 Bloomberg New Energy
14 - 17 JAN 2019 | ADNEC, ABU DHABI

Finance Report

- LONGi in select group of PV Manufacturers meeting BNEF’s Tier 1 criteria

- DNV-GL recognizes LONGi as “Top Performer” in their PV Module reliability Scorecard

2018

- LONGi ranked as the most financially stable PV manufacturer in Asia, second worldwide.
Meet the decision-makers
Bloomberg NEF’s criteria require module manufactueres to have supplied own-brand, responsible for MENA’s massive
own-manufacture products to six different projects over 1.5MW that have been financed
by six different banks in the past 2 years. Moreover, manufacturers in China, India and project rollout at WFES Solar.
Turkey are subject to a more stringent rule that requires the project to be non-recourse,
which means the bank undertakes the risk in the event of the modules failing. LONGi met MENA's PV project pipeline in 2018 amounts to 11.86 GW;
all criteria and is joint fifth in the list in terms of in-house manufacturing capacity. over ten times the existing installed capacity in the region.
“We are delighted, but of course not surprised, to be named in BNEF ‘sTier-1 supplier,” said
Li Wenxue, President of LONGi Solar. “Consistently meeting and exceeding the bankability
requirements for a range of investors is a must for any serious manufacturer, particularly
as LONGi looks to further develop its international reach.” 33,000 $15bn 850
Attendees From 170 Countries Worth Of Projects Announced Exhibiting Companies
The report also updated the Altman-Z ratio of solar module manufacturers that measures
the company’s financial security. The test predicts the probability of a manufacturer going
bankrupt in the next two years. LONGi was ranked the most secure company in Asia and
second of all PV manufacturers worldwide.
Access a World of Networking Opportunities
While BNEF’s Tier 1 and Altman-Z are strong indicators of a manufacturer’s bankability,
quality and reliability require a different measure. In its fourth annual PV Module Reliability
Register today at wfes.ae
Scorecard Report 2018, DNV GL, named LONGi Solar a “Top Performer” for module
reliability. DNV GL awards are based on 4 stringent PV module reliability laboratory tests,
14 - 17 Jan 2019 | ADNEC, Abu Dhabi
comprising: thermal cycling, damp heat, dynamic mechanical load and potential induced
degradation. LONGi Solar received is “Top Performer” in all four tests categories.
Key Sectors Organised by

WFES WFES WFES WFES WFES WFES

ENERGY WATER EcoWASTE SOLAR GREEN MOBILITY
BUILDINGS

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 Industry Insights

Solar Market Insight Report 2018 Q2

Market Outlook
“Flat growth forecasted for 2018 allows for a
GTM Research forecasts U.S. solar to be essentially flat in 2018. With nearly two-thirds of
the 2018 utility PV pipeline consisting of relatively less price-sensitive renewable portfolio more robust rebound in 2019 as the market
standard projects and projects currently in construction that secured tariff-free modules
aligns to the growth expectations of small
(either crystalline-silicon PV delivered before the tariffs went into effect or non-subject
thin-film or domestically produced modules), tariff impacts on 2018 will be somewhat and medium-sized installers leveraging less
mitigated. The non-residential market will fall as a pipeline of projects grandfathered in
under a more favorable policy and incentive environment wanes in 2018. Residential PV
expensive customer-acquisition channels.
is expected to be flat given lingering weakness in major markets, which will lead to these Growth rates exceeding 10% are expected to
markets seeing flat growth or contraction this year.
resume in the early 2020s, in part bolstered by
In the medium term, more price-sensitive procurement drivers such as PURPA and the California mandate for all new residential
voluntary procurement by utilities (i.e., projects made viable due to their economic
competitiveness) will not pencil out under increased price assumptions due to the Section
housing to include rooftop solar, in addition to
201 module tariffs. The utility segment is still expected to grow 5% in 2019, but growth emerging markets beginning to account for a
will be relatively flat from 2021-2022 as the declining module tariffs delay projects that
were initially slated for completion in 2020-2021. Going forward, utility PV will continue larger share of the residential segment, while
to be driven by procurement outside renewable portfolio standards, with more than 75%
of the current pipeline coming from voluntary procurement, PURPA, offsite corporate
ITC demand pull-in will boost growth in 2021
procurement, and California-based community-choice aggregators. ahead of its expiration in 2022.”

For residential PV, the widespread customer-acquisition issues in major state markets that
afflicted the segment in 2017 are only exacerbated in an increased pricing environment.
This is especially true for large national
Fig 1.
installers scaling back expensive sales
channels and transitioning to lower-cost
customer-acquisition strategies in pursuit of
profitability. These challenges are expected to
continue in the near term for large national
installers, though 2018 is expected to
represent the bottoming out of this trend as
more local installers grow to capture larger
shares of the market.

Flat growth forecasted for 2018 allows for a

more robust rebound in 2019 as the market
aligns to the growth expectations of small
and medium-sized installers leveraging less
expensive customer-acquisition channels.
Growth rates exceeding 10% are expected to
resume in the early 2020s, in part bolstered by
the California mandate for all new residential
housing to include rooftop solar, in addition
to emerging markets beginning to account
for a larger share of the residential segment,
while ITC demand pull-in will boost growth in
2021 ahead of its expiration in 2022. Fig 2.

Meanwhile, the non-residential PV market is

expected to experience two consecutive down
years as the grandfathered project pipeline
wanes in 2018 and the market acclimates to a
reduced incentive environment across major
state markets in 2019. However, this will be
incrementally offset starting in 2020 as the
next wave of states with robust community
solar mandates – New York, Maryland,
Illinois – begin to see the realization of those
pipelines. Solar-plus-storage viability will also
begin to have an impact on non-residential
demand.

By 2020, 28 states in the U.S. are expected to

be 100+ MWdc annual solar markets, with 25
of those states being home to more than 1
GWdc of operating solar PV. This compares to
only two states with 100+ MWdc annual solar
markets in 2010. Credit: SEIA/GTM Research U.S. Solar Market InsightTM Report

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 Email: ind@jinkosolar.com Call Now: 011-41387327 www.jinkosolar.com

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