Aditya Birla Group to invest Rs 6k crore in solar power business

MUMBAI: The Aditya Birla group plans to invest Rs 6,000 crore in solar power business over the next five years as demand for clean energy rises exponentially. The government has set a target of setting up 20 gigawatts of solar energy by 2022.

The $40-billion retail-to-telecom conglomerate has acquired a minority stake in a solar power venture promoted by Electrotherm in Gujarat's solar park and struck a long-term leasing agreement with Refex Energy in Rajasthan to operate a solar plant at Bithuja in Rajasthan. These units have a capacity to produce 1.55 million units of electricity per mw annually.

"We are getting ready for a large-scale rollout as solar energy holds the potential to replace the conventional sources of energy. It offers a great potential to scale up," said Dev Bhattacharya, head, strategy, Aditya Birla group.

"We have set a target of $1 billion over the next 5-6 years," he added. Essel Mining, the unlisted firm owned by Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, is in the process of setting up an independent company as it seeks to develop a capacity of 100 mw over the next 18 months. The group has so far invested a little more than Rs 200 crore to develop 20 mw capacities in solar power.

Ravi Khanna, who joined from global renewable energy major Scandanavian Advanced Technology as CEO of the solar power business, has devised a three-pronged strategy to achieve the target in the first phase. The solar power venture will seek to secure businesses by trading in renewable energy certificates, set up plants which come under renewable power obligations and bid for projects offered under the national solar mission.

Odisha to form Green Power Corporation

CHENNAI, OCT 7: 

The government of Odisha has decided to form a separate company, Odisha Green Power Corporation Ltd (OGPCL), exclusively for the purpose of promoting large-scale solar power plants and other renewable energy projects.

The decision to form OGPCL was announced by the State’s Energy Minister, Mr Arun Kumar Sahu, at a solar conference organised in Bhubhaneswar by the local chapter of TiE along with Canyon Consultancy Pvt Ltd, a firm that focuses on renewable energy technologies on Saturday. (TiE, or The Indus Entrepreneurs, is a global non profit organization that aims to foster entrepreneurship.)

The new company is expected to be a subsidiary of Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), which has substantial lands on which to put up solar projects. OHPC intends to put up a 22.5 MW solar project, spread over three of its hydro project locations, through its green power subsidiary. OHPC is also discussing with Water Resource department to have solar projects on the canals of Odisha for multiple benefits.

Speaking at the conference, Mr B K Misra, Member, Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission, called upon the major industries in the State such as NALCO, Hindalco and Vedanta, to put up rooftop solar plants in their industrial units, which could help them meet their ‘renewable purchase obligation’.

TiE Bhubhaneswar has recommended to the State government to declare 2013 as the ‘Solar Year of Odisha’ and also to set up a 100 MW solar park during the year. It has further suggested that the solar plant capacity in the State could be raised to 1,000 MW by 2017.

"Looking at the current scenario of non-availability of coal for Captive Power Plants of various industries, we have developed the concept of putting up solar parks in different locations, each of more than 100MW,” said Mr Chandrashekhar Mishra, Managing Director, Canyon Consultancy.

Odisha has joined a growing list of States that have big solar ambitions. Gujarat is the leader, with about 700 MW of installed capacity (about 70 per cent of all solar power capacity in the country.) Rajasthan had announced a solar programme, but later shelved it. Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have announced their own policies/programmes. Odisha, which had earlier awarded a 25 MW project to a company called Alex Green (a subsidiary of Shree Ganesh Jewellery), recently announced the opening of bids for another 25 MW.

Solar power for Central Prison

Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will inaugurate a solar-energy project and a new restroom for visitors at the Central Jail, Poojappura, here on Wednesday.

A press release issued here on Tuesday said the solar energy scheme would make the department the first one in the country to depend entirely on this clean and renewable source of energy.

The 13th Finance Commission had allotted Rs.154 crore for the modernisation of prisons in the State. Of this, Rs.14.79 crore had been set aside for development programmes at the Central Jail, Poojappura.

The shift to solar energy would be undertaken in jails across the State and Rs.25.56 crore had been earmarked for this. The solar energy scheme at the Poojappura jail had been set up at a cost of Rs.7.9 crore.

Street lighting inside the compound, lighting and fans for blocks one to 12, steam cooking, water heating chappathi-making, and water pumping would be powered by solar energy. Around 229 KW of power would be generated, the release said.

This scheme would be a relief to the department which was charged Rs.1.27 crore by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) last year.

With the hike in rates, this figure was estimated to touch Rs.2 crore.

In addition, most number of jail escapes occurred during power cuts, and with the transition to solar energy, this problem could be eliminated by ensuring 24-hour power supply and a 12-hour back-up.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy would provide 30 per cent subsidy on the implementation cost and as much subsidy would be provided by the Agency for Non-Conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT), the release said.

The Public Works Department (PWD) had constructed a new restroom on the prison premises for visitors of inmates.

More parking spaces would also be earmarked on the premises, especially for families which visit from afar.

Large industries to go green in a small way soon

Large industries in the State are being advised to install solar power systems for at least two per cent of their power consumption.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) will soon issue an advisory to this effect.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, environment minister B.V. Ramana said that common areas, kitchens and other areas could be lit through solar power. “This would take some pressure off the grid and help the companies to reduce their carbon footprints,” he said.

Similarly, the Board will also direct industries classified as highly-polluting or water-consuming to set up reverse osmosis plants for tertiary treatment of waste water being let out after being treated by effluent treatment plants or sewage treatment plants.

This would help reduce withdrawal of ground water. There are around 40,000 industries in the State. This would also be applicable to large apartments, hotels, IT companies and other high-rise structures. “We will make it mandatory in stages,” Mr. Ramana said.

The minister, speaking after a regional review meeting, said the Board had 34 district offices that looked after the processes of providing consent to establish and to operate to industries. The Board was presently looking at the number of industries being covered by each district office and if the number was too high, additional offices may be set up, he said. Of the 233 highly-polluting industries in the State, he said, so far 97 industries had been connected to the Care Air Centre of the Board, which continuously monitors online the emission stacks of these industries. “We have set a deadline of December 2012 for the remaining industries to get into the system,” he said.

Solar power for 25 government schools, 10 hospitals

NEW DELHI: The Delhi environment department has identified 25 government schools and 10 government hospitals that will get independent solar power systems.

The pilot project is looking at generating 500kW of power through rooftop solar photovoltaic cells under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Environment secretary Sanjiv Kumar said the department had sent a proposal to the union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and was expecting financial support from it under the off-grid decentralized scheme. "If the project is approved, MNRE will finance 30% of the cost and the rest of the expenditure will be borne by the Delhi government," he said.

According to officials, Delhi does not have much scope in renewable energy and, therefore, rooftop solar projects are the only viable option.

"Due to severe shortage of open space, even solar panels are not such a convenient option for the city so we will have to use whatever space is available. In that scenario, even small projects like this one are a positive step. This project will also not fully meet the requirement of each establishment but will form a small part of it. Hence, it will be fully utilized by the identified establishments and there will not be anything extra to feed into the grid," said a source.

Officials said each of the government schools would get a 10kW panel while the hospitals will get a 25kW panel each. The school and hospital projects will cost Rs 6.75 crore each, bringing the total cost to Rs 13.14 crore. "If MNRE approves the project, it will assist us to the tune of Rs 3.8 crore. We should get the approval in another month or so and will be able to finalize the project soon after that. From that point, it will take us eight-odd months to set up the panels and start producing power," said an official.

Officials said the project would be executed by the energy department of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) named DSIIDC Energy Ltd.

Some of the hospitals that have been shortlisted for the project include Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Deen Dayal Upadhay Hospital, Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Guru Nanak Eye Centre and Dr Jagjivan Ram Hospital.

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.

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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.