The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has released the draft guidelines for PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana which is aimed at installing rooftop solar (RTS) plants in one crore (10 million) households
Spurred by environmental concerns, the West Bengal Government is set to make it mandatory to have rainwater harvesting and solar power facilities in buildings. "Global warming and climate change are threatening us. We must, therefore, have greenhouse concepts like solar power and rainwater harvesting in new buildings. I am talking to my urban development minister to include these in the Municipal Act so that it becomes mandatory for all,' Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today. Inaugurating the 'Realty Expo 2008' of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), he described paucity of housing as a national problem and said his government was stressing on construction of housing projects both by the government, private players and through public-private partnership (PPP). With the PPP model having been successfully implemented in the state's housing sector, the government now wanted the private players to take up construction of related infrastructure like roads, bridges and flyovers, he said. Pointing out that Rs 15 crore had been collected towards construction workers' welfare after the government made it mandatory for real estate developers to contribute to it, the Chief Minister appealed to private developers for greater contribution towards the welfare fund.
An Australian subsidiary of CLP Holdings Ltd, the larger of Hong Kong's two power utilities, has agreed with Melbourne-based Solar Systems to develop the world's largest solar power station. TRUenergy will contribute an initial A$7 million ($6.5 million) to develop a 2-megawatt heliostat concentrated photovoltaic pilot plant, subsequently investing up to A$285 million to build the remaining stages of the 154 megawatt project in northern Victoria, Australia, CLP said. The Australian and Victorian governments have also committed to fund development of the HK$2.9 billion ($371 million) project, which will be capable of powering 45,000 homes. Work will begin in 2009. CLP's shares were up 3.8 percent in mid-morning trade, outperforming a flat Hong Kong market. TRUenergy has taken a 20 percent stakeholding in Solar Systems, a private company that has been developing solar technology for 17 years. CLP also entered into a 10-year agreement with Solar Systems to deploy photovoltaic technology in the Asia Pacific region, including China. The Hong Kong-based firm has hit a target of generating 5 percent of its capacity from renewable energy by the end of 2007, three years ahead of schedule, it said. Its latest solar development agreements will make an important contribution to a new target of sourcing 20 percent of its power from non-carbon-emitting generation technologies by 2020, it added. (US$1=A$1.082=HK$7.8) (Reporting by Judy Hua; Editing by Edmund Klamann) REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Japan's Sharp Corp will team up with Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd and Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd to develop large lithium-ion batteries that can store solar energy for houses, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday. The deal will help Sharp, the world's largest producer of solar cells, expand its solar power system business while enabling Japanese homebuilder Daiwa House add value to its homes with energy-saving technologies, the Nikkei said. Sharp plans to invest around 600 million yen ($5.56 million) in large lithium-ion battery developer Eliiy Power Co Ltd in March, the Nikkei said. Currently, Daiwa House and Dai Nippon Printing, provider of electrode materials used in lithium-ion batteries, each hold stakes worth about 600 million yen in Eliiy Power, a spokesman for Eliiy Power said. While existing household solar power systems can convert sunlight to energy, they cannot store power for later use. Homes thus rely on other forms of power on cloudy days or at night, a Daiwa House spokesman said. But with large lithium-ion batteries, with up to 40 times the storage capacity of existing smaller batteries used in mobile phones and laptop computers, homes can have power even when the sun is not out, the Eliiy Power spokesman said. Eliiy Power plans to build a factory to produce large lithium-ion batteries in the business year 2009/10, the Nikkei reported. A Sharp spokeswoman said the firm is looking into storage batteries for households, but nothing has been determined. Daiwa House and Dai Nippon Printing spokesmen declined to confirm the Nikkei report. The Eliiy Power spokesman said the company is considering bringing another partner into its lithium-ion venture, but did not provide details. Shares of Sharp rose 1.7 percent to 2,135 yen as of the morning close on Tuesday. Daiwa House shares climbed 1.5 percent to 1,121 yen, while shares of Dai Nippon Printing fell 0.6 percent to 1,699 yen. (Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
An Australian subsidiary of CLP Holdings Ltd, the larger of Hong Kong's two power utilities, has agreed with Melbourne-based Solar Systems to develop the world's largest solar power station. TRUenergy will contribute an initial A$7 million ($6.5 million) to develop a 2-megawatt heliostat concentrated photovoltaic pilot plant, subsequently investing up to A$285 million to build the remaining stages of the 154 megawatt project in northern Victoria, Australia, CLP said. The Australian and Victorian governments have also committed to fund development of the HK$2.9 billion ($371 million) project, which will be capable of powering 45,000 homes. Work will begin in 2009. CLP's shares were up 3.8 percent in mid-morning trade, outperforming a flat Hong Kong market. TRUenergy has taken a 20 percent stakeholding in Solar Systems, a private company that has been developing solar technology for 17 years. CLP also entered into a 10-year agreement with Solar Systems to deploy photovoltaic technology in the Asia Pacific region, including China. The Hong Kong-based firm has hit a target of generating 5 percent of its capacity from renewable energy by the end of 2007, three years ahead of schedule, it said. Its latest solar development agreements will make an important contribution to a new target of sourcing 20 percent of its power from non-carbon-emitting generation technologies by 2020, it added. (US$1=A$1.082=HK$7.8) (Reporting by Judy Hua; Editing by Edmund Klamann) REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Entrepreneurs and NGOs find innovative models to take solar energy to rural homes in the country. As dusk slowly lapses into night, it is time for millions to call it a day. For, before the night falls, farmers with their cattle have to be at home, children have to finish studies, housewives have to finish the household chores, as life comes to a standstill once it is dark.
New solar technology greatly improves performance A new coating for solar panels could lead to more efficient solar collection. The energy from sunlight falling on only 9 percent of California's Mojave Desert could power all of the United States' electricity needs if the energy could be efficiently harvested, according to some estimates. Unfortunately, current-generation solar cell technologies are too expensive and inefficient for wide-scale commercial applications. A team of Northwestern University researchers has developed a new anode coating strategy that significantly enhances the efficiency of solar energy power conversion. A paper about the work, which focuses on "engineering'
An Australian subsidiary of CLP Holdings Ltd, the larger of Hong Kong's two power utilities, has agreed with Melbourne-based Solar Systems to develop the world's largest solar power station. TRUenergy will contribute an initial A$7 million ($6.5 million) to develop a 2-megawatt heliostat concentrated photovoltaic pilot plant, subsequently investing up to A$285 million to build the remaining stages of the 154 megawatt project in northern Victoria, Australia, CLP said. The Australian and Victorian governments have also committed to fund development of the HK$2.9 billion ($371 million) project, which will be capable of powering 45,000 homes. Work will begin in 2009. CLP's shares were up 3.8 percent in mid-morning trade, outperforming a flat Hong Kong market. TRUenergy has taken a 20 percent stakeholding in Solar Systems, a private company that has been developing solar technology for 17 years. CLP also entered into a 10-year agreement with Solar Systems to deploy photovoltaic technology in the Asia Pacific region, including China. The Hong Kong-based firm has hit a target of generating 5 percent of its capacity from renewable energy by the end of 2007, three years ahead of schedule, it said. Its latest solar development agreements will make an important contribution to a new target of sourcing 20 percent of its power from non-carbon-emitting generation technologies by 2020, it added. ($1=A$1.082=HK$7.8) (Reporting by Judy Hua; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Deterrent: Subrat Mohapatra, District Forest Officer (left), inspecting fence erected along Semmalai reserve forest in Tiruchi district The Forest Department has erected solar-powered electric fence on some stretches along the periphery of a few Reserve Forests in the district in an effort to prevent animals from entering human habitations and damaging crops. The work has been carried out to a total length of 15 km along the boundary of Semmalai and Karupureddypatti in Manapparai range; Pulivalam, Omandur and Vellakalpatti in Tiruchi range. The Department spent Rs.24 lakh for the work executed under the State Wildlife Scheme. The fence in Semmalai and Karupureddypatti have been erected to a length of 2.5 km each, 3 km each in Pulivalam and Vellakalpatti and four km in Omandur. The fencing work was carried out following frequent complaints from villagers that animals such as Indian gaur, wild boar and deer were damaging their crops. District Forest Officer Subrat Mohapatra said that animals entered villages in search of water, especially in summer. The low voltage impulse from the fence would act as a deterrent and not harm the animals, said Mr. Mohapatra. To meet the water needs of animals, the department planned to establish small percolation ponds inside the forest. Tiruchi district has a total of 86 Reserve Forests. The department planned to carry out fencing work to a total length of 30 km during the next financial year.
THE need to generate power from renewable sources of energy is being increasingly emphasised due to growing awareness about climate change. V Subramanian, secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, feels the cost of solar power generation would come down over time due to technological improvements. Subsidy to producers of solar power is inevitable at this juncture, he told G Ganapathy Subramaniamin an interview. Excerpts. Why should the government subsidise solar power? The estimated cost of generating solar power is around Rs 15 per kilowatt hour (KWh). This is the cost of supplying photovoltaic power to the grid, without involving any batteries for storage. Since the unit cost of power generated through conventional sources is far lower and the cost at which power is bought by state electricity boards is cheaper, the government has decided to subsidise solar power generation. The incentive is up to Rs 12 per Kwh for electricity generated from solar photovoltaic and a maximum of Rs 10 per Kwh for electricity generated through solar thermal power plants. We need to provide subsidy in order to encourage generation of clean energy. This subsidy is only for power supplied to the grid. It is not applicable for any private supply or captive use. The subsidy component would go down over a period of time. How will the subsidy, once awarded, go down? The initial cost of solar photovoltaic systems is high because raw materials like silicon wafers are imported. We expect costs to come down over a period of time due to advances in technology. In the next four to five years, we expect conversion efficiency of solar power plants to improve to 18% as compared to 14% or 16% now. The industry, on its part, is trying to reduce consumption of silicon wafers. As a result of these measures, cost of solar cells and modules should come down by about 33%. Therefore, the subsidy component can be reduced over a period of time. There is a built-in provision to bring down maximum subsidies by 5% each year for capacities commissioned from 2010-11 onwards if the current programme is not reviewed in 2009-10. Do you believe the subsidy offer would attract a large number of investors? As much as 97% of the power generation capacity based on renewable energy is built on the strength of incentives and government policies. This includes wind energy, power from waste, bagasse co-generation and biomass conversion programmes. For the sake of clean energy, incentives have been provided. We are confident of the solar power scheme since it is a direct, upfront subsidy. The programme would be implemented through IREDA and there is no chance of bureaucratic red tape coming in the way of the delivery system. State electricity boards will not feel any disincentive since they are buying power at commercial rates, similar to what is paid to other electricity producers. Moreover, we are also providing state electricity boards with an incentive of 10 paise per unit sourced from solar power generation. How much progress have we made in generating renewable energy? By the end of 2007, installed capacity of solar photovoltaic systems in the country has increased to 125 MW in various applications like lighting, rural telecom and offshore oilwell-head platforms. We have street lighting systems, lanterns, home lighting and pumping systems run on solar power, apart from stand-alone units. Installed capacity in the case of wind energy has increased to 7,092 MW, followed by 1,975 MW in the case of small hydro projects, 615 MW in the case of bagasse co-generation, and 524 MW in the case of biomass conversion. In the short-tomedium term, we can generate more power from renewable sources as compared to nuclear power. We have set the ball rolling with the subsidy scheme for solar power and the initial response is very positive. There are people who do not want their investments restricted to 50 MW, but we have kept in mind the need to keep the window open for opportunities from various parts of the country. Can we quantify the projected benefits from the subsidy for solar projects? Every solar plant with 1 MW capacity would produce 2 million KW of electricity, taking care of 5,000 families if we go by the government's commitment of providing at least 1 KW of power to each rural household. Apart from this, each of these plants would create 25 to 40 jobs directly and another 400 indirectly.
In a bid to explore alternative sources of energy under the public-private initiative, the city government has decided to use solar energy for spot lights installed in parks and on the streets etc. The decision has been taken in view of a looming energy crisis in the country. In this regard, the CDGK's Enterprise and Investment Promotion Department has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from prominent local and foreign firms having experience in the field of solar energy by March 5. The offers must be in accordance with the required health and safety international standards. Before entering into an agreement, such projects completed by the bidding firms at home or abroad will also be inspected to ascertain their capability and expertise. Under the agreement, the successful bidder will be bound to provide and successfully operate streetlights, lamp poles, spot lights, wall-mounted lights, landscape lights etc and hand over the same to the city government within the stipulated period.
