Agartala to be Northeast India's first solar city

Agartala: To reduce dependency on conventional energy, the Tripura government Wednesday announced ambitious plans to make Agartala a 'solar city', replacing at least 10 percent of usual power use by solar energy.

"Agartala city would be the first 'solar city' in northeast India within the next few years," Tripura's Urban Development Minister Manik Dey said after inaugurating a 50 kilowatt solar power plant at the Agartala Municipal Council head office here. 

He said: "Solar power is the sustainable and viable energy for both cities and remote areas. Electricity crisis would not be solved in the country unless we use non-conventional energy like solar power in a big way." 

An official of the Agartala Municipal Council said a master plan of Rs.452.32 crore has been undertaken to make Agartala a 'solar city'. The union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) would bear 90 percent of the cost and the remaining would be borne by the Tripura government. 

As part of the master plan, solar hot water systems would be installed in all hotels, nursing homes, school hostels, government circuit houses and bungalows, hospitals and health centres, tourist lodges, temples and the governor's residence. 

According to the official, the Agartala solar city project is part of MNRE's plan to turn 60 Indian cities into solar cities. 

"The Tripura Renewable Energy Development Authority (TREDA) and urban development department, in association with MNRE, would implement the ambitious scheme," the official added. 

The city's street lights and other lights in public places would also be operated on solar energy. 

"Theft of battery and solar panel is a major problem facing the authorities in implementing the solar electrification programme," Tripura's Science, Technology and Environment Minister Joy Gobinda Debroy said. 

The minister said 700 hamlets and 50 villages in remote areas in the northeastern state have already been provided solar energy, benefiting more than 35,000 families, mostly tribals. 

"Solar energy would also be provided to hundreds of more remote villages in the state under the remote village electrification (RVE) scheme during the current financial year," the minister said. 

According to Debroy, through the TREDA, 80,000 solar lanterns have been distributed among poor people residing in urban as well as rural areas in Tripura. Over 66,000 small and medium hot water plants have been installed across Tripura. 

"To popularise 'solar energy', lakhs of specially-designed 'solar caps' and 'solar torches' would be distributed among students in the state," he stated. 

Of India's 60 proposed solar cities, eight cities have been identified in the northeastern region by MNRE. 

The cities include Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Agartala in Tripura, Guwahati and Jorhat in Assam, Aizawl in Mizoram, Imphal in Manipur and Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland. 

http://www.eai.in/360/news/pages/6697

7 Million Electric Cars by 2020

India is jumping on the electric vehicle bandwagon.

Yesterday, India's National Council for Electric Mobility (yes, that's a real thing), announced that it has adopted a new plan that calls for between six million and seven million electric vehicles. This is an incredibly aggressive target, and one that will not easily be reached.

Although I applaud India for taking the appropriate steps to electrify personal transportation, the country definitely has an uphill battle ahead.

First of all, President Obama was hoping to get just one million electric cars on US roads and highways by 2015. That's not going to happen. Pike research has suggested the US won't hit that mark until around 2017. It's nothing to shrug off, but certainly a reminder that electric vehicles are still in the earliest stages of development, and it will take some time before price reductions enable a more rapid acceleration in sales.

Also worth noting is India's grid – which I suspect is not prepared for even half of India's electric vehicle goal. That's not to say India's grid won't be able to handle as many as seven million electric cars one day. But in less than eight years? I'm suspicious of that.

There are some upsides though. For one, as India's middle class grows, so will the demand for the cars that we take for granted here in the US. To shift to newer, cleaner technologies early on will make it easier to transition along the way. If the end-game is to reduce petroleum use in personal transportation, electric cars are the way to go.

It also looks like the government is ponying up a few billion to facilitate R&D while putting a charging infrastructure in place. Since India's is really starting from the ground up here, it is likely the government will coordinate charging stations with grid upgrades. This could definitely cushion some of the pain that's going to come from rebuilding the nation's grid.

To be honest, I can't say I expect India to get six million or seven million electric cars on the roads in eight years. And I highly doubt these vehicles will meet the same safety standards as we have here in the US and in Europe.

Still, if India can pull off just one third of its target, it will be a pretty amazing accomplishment that will only further validate the role electric vehicles are going to play in the future.

Media / Interview Requests? Click Here.

Editor's Note: From solar and wind to geothermal and biofuels, Green Chip readers want to know which renewable energy resource will take over where fossil fuels leave off. The answer is...all of the above!

There is no one single solution to today's energy crisis. However, the combination of all viable renewable energy resources, coupled with energy efficiency, conservation and smart grid development will not only lead us to energy independence and a cleaner, more sustainable energy infrastructure — but also to what will soon prove to be the greatest investment opportunity of the 21st Century.

Solar homes to meet state households energy needs

KOCHI:The state's plans to exploit renewable energy sources to meet electricity demands has inched one step closer to reality with the central government giving an in-principle approval for the 10,000 Solar Homes project. An official announcement is expected soon, said a topgovernment official.

Solar power plants, with a capacity of 1kw, will be installed on roof tops of 10,000 homes. Solar panels, which can generate approximately five units of electricity every day will be installed on rooftops due to the scarcity of huge tracts of land required for solar power plants.

It is estimated that each unit would cost approximately Rs 2.5 lakh, including solar panels and storage batteries. But people availing this solar scheme will get a subsidy of around Rs 1.5 lakh.

"We had approached the ministry of new and renewable energy to fund the project three months ago. And the central government recently gave an assurance that it will give a subsidy of Rs 81,000 or 30% of the total cost, whichever is less," said a top official with the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT), on condition of anonymity. ANERT will implement this project in Kerala.

The project has envisaged in such a way that all 14 districts would be given equal priority while implementing the project. "A notification will be issued in a month's time for selecting houses to implement the project. Even though all districts would be given equal priority, the number of solar power units in each district will be decided after considering the response received, said the official.

He added that technical verification would be made before selecting beneficiaries under the project in order to ensure that they have enough space for installing solar power panels.

The official said that state government will give a subsidy of Rs 39,000 for installing solar units and have already sanctioned fund for the same.

The state's plans to exploit renewable energy sources to meet its electricity requirements has inched one step closer to reality with the central government giving in-principle approval for the '10,000 Solar Homes project' and an official announcement is expected soon.

The project envisages to install solar power plants of 1 kw capacity each, totaling 10MW, on rooftops of 10,000 homes across the state for electricity generation. Under the much-hyped project, solar panels, which can generate approximately five units of electricity every day will be installed on rooftops due to the scarcity of huge tracts of land required for solar power plants. It is estimated that each unit would cost approximately Rs 2.5 lakh, including solar panels and storage batteries, but will get a subsidy of around Rs 1.5 lakhs under the project.

"We had approached the ministry of new and renewable energy to fund the project three months ago. And the central government recently gave an assurance to provide a subsidy of Rs 81,000 or 30 percent of the total cost, whichever is less," said a top official with the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT), who didn't want to be quoted. ANERT is the implementing agency for the project.

The project has envisaged in such a way that all the districts in the state would be given equal priority for the implementation of the project. "A notification will be issued in a month's time for the selection of houses to implement the project. Even as all the districts would be given equal priority, number of solar power units in each district will be decided after considering the response received, said the official.

He added that technical verification would be made before selecting beneficiaries under the project in order to ensure that they have enough space for installing solar power panels.

The official said that state government will give a subsidy of Rs 39,000 for installing solar units and have already sanctioned fund for the same.

http://www.eai.in/360/actionbar/news/6213

The Hindu : NATIONAL / TAMIL NADU : Solar power on your bag

The Hindu : NATIONAL / TAMIL NADU : Solar power on your bag

U. Suren Vikash of Thunk in India with the solar charger back packs developed by him, in Coimbatore, on Friday. —Photo: K. Ananthan

For those on the move, recharging their mobile phone or tablet computer is made easier by Thunk in India. The product developed by it is wealth generated out of not just waste but also from green power.

A company that was started in December 2008 has a design studio here, Thunk in has developed back packs and sling bags made of rubber tubes. These have solar panels connected to batteries. The battery can be used to recharge mobile phones or tablet computers in the bag.

U. Suren Vikash, product designer at Thunk in, told The Hindu on Saturday that Thunk in develops products from materials that cannot be recycled. For instance, it launched two years ago bags woven with fabric made of polythene covers. Then it came out with back packs and sling bags made out of rubber tubes.

Now, after six months of conceptualisation, design, and product development, Thunk in has launched solar-powered bags.

Solar panels (six watt each) that are imported from Japan are attached to the bags. The bags are designed in such a way that the panels are exposed to direct sunlight when the bags are carried outdoors. The panel is connected to a 5,500 mAh battery in the bag. This recharges the mobile phone or tablet that is kept inside.

Thunk in usually launches one or two collection of products a year. It plans to make 1,000 back packs and 1,000 slings bags with the solar panels.

Some of its earlier products were sold through select retail outlets.

It has started accepting orders online on its website from customers in India and abroad for the solar bags. It will also be able to take up bulk orders from institutions. “We will be able to deliver the products in August – September. The response has been encouraging so far,” he says.

U.S. Solar Industry Posts Solid Q1 With 506 MW Installed

New Hampshire, USA -- For all the turmoil surrounding the American solar industry, the U.S. followed up its record fourth quarter of 2011 with its second-strongest quarter yet.

According to new figures released by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), 506 megawatts (MW) of new installations came online during the first quarter of 2012. That robust figure followed the American industry’s record-setting 780 MW that came online between October and the end of December, and it puts it on pace to easily surpass last year’s installation mark.
The new numbers are increasingly meaningful as the industry looks to assess the fallout from a string of potential market disruptions. The Section 1603 grant expired at the end of 2011 and the low-cost Chinese panels driving much of the U.S. industry were recently hit with hefty tariffs, the largest of which dates back to February of this year.
But so far, so good from an installation perspective as an 85 percent growth over the first quarter of 2011 has increased confidence that the industry will maintain its momentum through 2012. The better-than-expected first-quarter figures has led GTM Research to bump up its 2012 projections by about 15 percent to 3.3 gigawatts (GW), which would represent a big leap over the 1.8 GW installed in 2011. From there, the projected growth is relatively flat in 2013 as the impacts of the 1603 expiration and the new tariffs finally catch up with the industry. But strong growth is still projected for 2014 (about 5.3 GW), 2015 (about 6.6 GW) and 2016 (about 8.4 GW) as the U.S. emerges as a global market leader.
The readjusted 2012 outlook, coupled with expected declines in the European market, would push U.S. market share into double digits at nearly 11 percent. This would be up from 7 percent in 2011 and 5 percent in 2010, and it’d make the U.S. the fourth largest global PV market. The upward trajectory would also make it one of four large-scale international markets with expected long-term growth, with the others being China, India and Japan.
Two major factors helped fuel U.S. installation in the first quarter, according to the report. At least 1 GW of modules were “safe harbored” at the end of 2011, a common strategy used to qualify modules and inverters for the 1603 grant ahead of its expiration. Many of those modules were deployed during the first quarter of 2012. While the smaller countervailing duty was announced during the first quarter, the much larger anti-dumping tariff wasn’t announced until May. The first quarter was marked by uncertainty and new strategies to avoid penalties. The report notes that anecdotally, some Chinese suppliers became the importer of record, so they could absorb the tariff themselves and sell “tariff-proof” modules. Still, many developers have shifted some procurement to non-Chinese producers.
The role of American panel manufacturing has taken center stage in the political fight surrounding the solar industry. From that perspective, the first quarter proved to be disappointing as U.S. solar panel production amounted to 160 MW, less than half the amount produced during the first quarter of 2011.

Other key takeaways from the report include:

• New Jersey was the largest state market, with 174 MW of installations in Q1 2012.
• Blended module prices for Q1 2012 were down to $0.94/W, a staggering 47 percent lower than Q1 2011 levels of $1.78/W.
• Installed prices fell in every market segment year-over-year compared to Q1 2011. Residential installed prices fell 7.3 percent, commercial installed prices fell 11.5 percent, and utility prices fell 24.7 percent over Q1 2011. The overall blended average installed price
  fell 17.2 percent year-over-year.
• Utility-scale installations, which accounted for more than half of the 2011 fourth-quarter figures, represented a much smaller percentage in the first quarter of 2012. Utility installations reached 124 MW in the first quarter. Most of the utility-scale installation is expected to come during the second half of the year, and GTM Research is 1.8 GW to come online by the end of the year
• Cumulative operating PV capacity in the U.S. now totals 4.4 GW.
• A total of 1.1. GW of concentrating solar power (CSP) is now under construction.
• Abengoa’s Solana Generating Station received a $125 million investment from Capital Riesgo Global, a subsidiary of Banco Santander, for an equity stake in the CSP project.
• Construction of the CSP power tower at the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project was completed in February 2012.

Oh No, Not Another Renewable Energy Conference!

You might have about REaction 2012, the renewable energy meet organized by EAI and to be held in Chennai, Jul 26/27 (http://www.eai.in/reaction2012 )

If you are telling yourself, ”Oh No, Not another Renewable Energy Conference”, Hang on…

Other Renewable Energy Events Tell You What Everyone Already Knows

REaction 2012 Lets You Know of Opportunities that Few Know Today

Ask Yourself if You Knew the Following

Energy efficiency products and services present a MUCH LARGER opportunity for SMEs than the entire solar power industry.
A product called the Back-pressure steam turbine could be used in thousands of manufacturing units to utilize wasted heat and pressure in steam, and has a payback period of just one year. The market for this product alone in India is about 5000 crores per annum
India requires over 250,000 skilled professionals in renewable energy by 2020. Less than 1% of this number is available in the country. Can you imagine the business opportunity for training and knowledge solutions that this represents?
Did you know that the market for solar products such as solar lanterns and solar streetlights is as large as the solar power plants?
Have you heard of the concept of Upcycling? This is a more powerful extension of recycling. While recycling transforms a waste material into its original form, Upcycling transforms the waste material into a product that is FAR MORE valuable than the original product. This is an exciting green opportunity for creative entrepreneurs.
Did you know that the opportunities for IT and Software industry in Indian renewable energy and clean technology are already a billion dollar opportunity?
India could become the world’s second largest electric scooter consumer in the world in just three years from now? Electric scooters currently form just 1% of the total two wheeler market in India, and there are only a handful of strong competitors in this market.
An energy efficiency solution for Indian data centers alone is a Rs 850 crore market.
Algae-based biofuels represent the only known possibility for replacing all of the world’s oil with bio-based fuels. And India represents the best place to grow algae owing to the abundant sunshine large land areas available, and economical labour costs.
In Green Buildings, there are significant opportunities available for about 20 diverse industries. Can you believe it? This includes industries such as furniture, steel, software development, doors and windows, energy auditors, architects, solar panel makers, cooling system providers, organic farm product suppliers, waste management companies, manufacturers of smart energy meters and more
If you thought fuel cells are still in research stage in the Indian context, here’s some news for you. Some telecom towers in India have already started piloting fuel cell based energy generation. Given that fuel cells have a wide range of applications – from telecom towers to transport to various small-scale industrial applications, the potential for success for an early mover in this field is not hard to imagine.

Fuel cells, back pressure steam turbines, renewable energy training, electric scooters, upcycling, software opportunities, algae fuels, green buildings…

Don’t you agree that you are looking at a NEW, NEW WORLD? A world you have not seen before?

Become a delegate at REaction 2012. Get to know opportunities beyond solar and wind power plants.

REaction 2012 will be held at Chennai, Jul 26 & 27, 2012

Talk to Karthik – 09944667345, karthik@eai.in , he will help you get onboard

Free Seminar in Chennai on 'Diesel to Renewables'

Is your company keen on finding a solution to replace diesel or furnace oil with sustainable and renewable energy sources? The D2R Interactive Seminar is a Must Attend for you.

Replacing diesel with more sustainable sources is the need of the hour. All Indian companies know this – they have been using high cost, high polluting diesel as a back-up power source for a long time.

It is in this background that the REaction 2012 team at EAI is organizing the first ever Diesel to Renewable
Interactive Seminar in Chennai, on Jun 23, at Palmgrove Hotel, between 10 AM and 1 PM.

• The event will have an interactive presentation from EAI on the potential and possibilities for companies to shift from diesel to renewable energy sources.
• The event will also have experts from the solar and biomass power industries provide details on how these renewable sources could partially or fully replace diesel for power generation.
• Finally, the event will have a networking session where the delegates can network with experts from the industry.

We expect over 150 industry professionals and renewable energy experts to attend this important event.
All industry professionals, academicians, researchers and policy makers keen on understanding the trends and opportunities in the diesel to renewable energy sources are invited to attend this seminar.
Entry to the seminar is free, but as seats are limited, allocation will be on a FCFS basis. We request you to send in your request for invitation to reaction2012@eai.in with the term D2R in the subject line.
This seminar is conducted as part of REaction 2012, India’s largest renewable energy networking meet, to be held in Chennai, Jul 26/27. More about REaction 2012 from here – www.eai.in/reaction2012

EAI is organizing a free seminar in Chennai, Jun 23rd (Sat), 10 AM – 1 PM on avenues for companies to shift from diesel to renewable energy sources.

Experts from EAI and renewable energy industry will share their inputs. Organized as part of REaction 2012, India’s largest renewable energy event.

Interested? Talk to Muthukrishnan – muthukrishnan@eai.in , 09952910083.

Register Now - http://www.eai.in/reaction2012/diesel-to-renewable-interactive-seminar-chennai/