RNI NO.: APENG/2010/38296 POSTAL REGISTRATION NO.

: HD/1153/2011-13

Francois Moisan
sees ee as
energy efficiency: Dr. Ajay Mathur
talks about
world priority save at work ee in India
Pg 42 BEE’s new norms for office automation. Pg 34 Pg 39

VOLUME 4
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ISSUE 1
Volume 4 Issue 1 November 2013 Hyderabad Your guide to Renewable Energy
Date of Publication: 08/11/2013

energy next

Shining in all shades

While India is now a global leader in renewables, there are challenges that need to be
november 2013

addressed. An in-depth analysis inside

offbeat: amitabh bachchan’s green mission p32

INDUSTRY SPEAK: peeyush gupta p46
global innovation: spurring storage p50
 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 November 2013

In this Issue w w w . e n e r g y n e x t . i n

14 Cover Story

Shining in all
shades
India is a global leader in renewable energy, but there are
challenges that need to be addressed. Energy Next tracks
the growth and details the measures needed to make it a
growth propeller

Opinion Offbeat Office Automation

29 Caught in
logjam 32 Mahanayak’s
green mission 34 39 In Conversation

Actor of the millennium Save at work

DR AJAY MATHUR
Amitabh Bachchan’s Director General of the Bureau
pledge to light up of Energy Efficiency (BEE),
rural households with Dr Ajay Mathur, speaks about
renewables is sure to the surge in energy efficiency
inspire many others in in India, the steps taken by
the country to follow the government to increase
suit investment in the sector
and the introduction of the
endorsement labelling for
computer appliances
The Bureau of
Energy Efficiency has
introduced star energy
Wind has leapfrogged
labelling for products
the RE sector, but it has
like computer, laptops,
slowdown in the recent
printers and copiers
years. Shailendra Singh
to help make more
Rao speaks on problems
informed buying
and the way ahead
decision. In what
way will it impact the
market?

Perspective

42
FRANCOIS MOISAN
Francois Moisan, Executive Director, French
Environment and Energy Management Agency
(ADEME), reveals why France is treating energy
efficiency as a priority
 REtopia

45
Focus on
Energy Security
TERI University took the initiative to
create an awareness among the youth
as it organised its annual fest

49
Industry Speak Product Watch Global Innovation

46 50 52 Global Voice

Peeyush Gupta Spurring storage

Solar Lanterns:
Gustavo Manez
Lighting million homes The en.lighten initiative aims to
Energy Next analyses develop a co-ordinated global
some of the important strategy. Project manager Gustavo
solar lanterns available in Manez speaks about how a
the market today transition to efficient lighting will
help reduce emissions

With energy storage

gaining immense
credence, researchers
Testing of equipment are working on ways
used in renewable to promulgate this
energy is a new concept. Recently, at
phenomenon in India. MIT, a battery which is
Peeeyush Gupta outlines likely to enable large-
the challenges of testing scale energy storage
agencies was devised

56 Smart Grid
60 IREDA Corner

Delivering electricity Energising

intelligently sugar industry
Smart grid technology is the way forward for
a cost-effective shift to a sustainable energy
future. Srikanth Chandrasekaran explains
about the complexities involved

IREDA has been encouraging

the sugar industry for bagasse
cogeneration and energy efficiency
in the sugar industry across India
 From the Editor

Going gets better in re

Instances, however small and varied, always have a way of inspiring others to emulate and follow in their footsteps. Take for
example the case of Samso, a small island off the coast of Denmark. Here, in what can be termed as an exemplary instance,
a group of potato farmers have turned into power brokers, thanks to wind turbines which have helped in making their island a
net energy producer. In less than a decade, the island has graduated from producing 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person
annually, one of the highest carbon emissions per capita in Europe, to just 4.4 tonnes, proving that running on 100 per cent
renewable electricity is an achievable target.
While Denmark has been able to establish itself as a leader in renewable
energy development, other countries are following suit too. Hitherto
known as the dark continent, South Africa is now on its way to becoming
one of the fastest growing RE markets in the world. A recent report by
Frost & Sullivan stated that “the potential for renewable energy generation
in South Africa is high and the successful execution of the Renewable
Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP)
will stimulate investments in large utility-scale renewable energy systems,
driving the growth of the country’s renewable energy industry.”
In fact, the REIPPP aims to generate 3,725 MW of the country’s total
electricity from renewable sources. Then, there is the Korean government
which has set itself an ambitious target, of installing 2,500 MW over
the next nine years in the offshore wind power development sphere.
Currently, it is aiming to set up a public-private partnership to install about
500 turbines off the country’s West coast. Additionally, local governments
are promoting another 4,500 MW of offshore wind projects across
the country. So, even as nations across the globe take strides, some small, some giant, towards adopting various sources of
renewable energy that they are endowed with, there have been some challenges as well. Energy efficiency, which has now
being acknowledged as a credible way of enhancing one’s clean energy portfolio, is facing its own set of problems.
According to the World Energy Council’s latest study, there has been a general slowdown in energy efficiency improvements.
The report, “World Energy Perspective: Energy Efficiency Policies”, produced in collaboration with France’s energy and
environment agency, ADEME, reveals that though more and more countries are now involved in energy efficiency policies,
numerous factors have impacted the progress of energy efficiency progress across 85 countries, representing more than
90 per cent of global consumption.
On the brighter side though, most countries have significantly reduced total energy use per unit of GDP over the last three
decades, the study finds. This is attributed to “more efficient key end-uses such as vehicles, appliances, space heating and
industrial processes. Moreover, newer standards, educational campaigns and regulatory
requirements have further contributed to improved energy efficiency in OECD nations. What’s
encouraging is the fact that technology development, response to rising energy prices, and
growing competition in industries have also forced companies to cut energy costs.”
News of the UAE lighting law, likely to save half-a-billion-dirhams-annually, only goes to
corroborate that energy efficiency, despite the odds, is very much on track. India too has
its own triumphs. Very recently, François Moisan, executive director of ADEME, admitted
to Energy Next that they would be collaborating with India in the field of energy
efficiency, on an institutional basis, to begin with. Surely, things are only poised to get
better henceforth, not just for the renewables, but its various trajectories as well.

Debashish Majumdar
Chairman & Managing Director, IREDA
 Letters To The Editor

Solar Mission Apropos, the cover story on JNNSM,

which was based on an analysis depicting
needs leg-up opportunities and challenges in executing
projects, was a great read. Please accept
kudos for highlighting the drawback on Editor-in-Chief Debashish Majumdar

account of certain global trends. In such Publications Director R Ramprasad

a scenario, one wishes to know as to why Associate Editor Sapna Gopal
indigenous techniques and designs have been
Assistant Editor Upendra Singh
ignored so far in the country. All said and done,
Azure Power’s Inderpreet Wadhwa has lent a Assistant Editor Richa Kapoor

silver lining to the dark clouds by saying all is Head - Business & Events Anupam Daftuar
not lost as yet. Design Varsha Awasthi

Suresh Panje, New Delhi Marketing Manager Abhinav Dutta

Asst. Marketing Manager Rachita Gogoi

Manager - Research Anup Kumar

“Offbeat” done. The story was spot on the use of renewable

welcome relief!
Reference to the
story “Delhi Police on
Power Saving Mode”
is indeed a welcome
step, considering the
massive daily ecological
footprint of the Delhi
Police patrol vehicles.
Using fuel-efficient,
cost-effective vehicles as
well as adopting simple
equipments like LED
lights can go a long way
in reducing the energy
burden.
Samarth Pathak, Noida
`/$ story well
on to bring out how the
rupee slide is impacting
the solar and wind power
industries. The slide in
the ` value has further
aggravated the situation.
Sowmya Seth, Pune
Comprehensive
interviews
The interviews covered
by Energy Next are
comprehensive, while
the industry leaders
highlighted the roadmap
adopted by them as
they express their
willingness to capitalise
on the developments
energy.
For the latest Renewable Energy news.
log on to www.energynext.in
Rachita Mittal, Chennai
Crisp reading with Energy Next is printed by R Ramprasad and
one-page stories published by R Ramprasad on behalf of
Focal Point Media Services Pvt Ltd
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04 | Energy Next | November 2013

 Why IREDA?
Interest rate as low as 11.5%
Maximum repayment period up to 10 years
Financing up to 75% of the project cost
Moratorium up to 12 months from the date
of commissioning
Come to IREDA with your concept & project
and get it nanced for a sunny future.
*Conditions apply

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited

(A Government of India Enterprise)
Corporate Ofce: 3rd Floor, August Kranti Bhawan, Bhikaiji Cama Place, New Delhi - 110066
Telephone: +91 11 26717400-12 Fax: +91 11 26717416
E-mail: cmd@ireda.in Website: www.ireda.gov.in
 news
Energiser Stiff competition limiting
growth of solar IPPs
As an energy
efficiency
initiative, the
Puducherry
administration
has decided
that a private
agency will
manage all
street lights to
be retrofitted
with LED and
other energy
efficient bulbs.
T he intense competition has
led to solar projects being
allocated at levelised tariff
that is significantly lower than
reasonable tariff and is likely
to limit the growth potential of
independent power producers
(IPPs), according to global
analytical firm- Crisil.
IREDA pays ` 27.50 crore dividend to MNRE
I ndian Renewable Energy
Development Agency Limited
(IREDA), under Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE), presented a dividend
cheque of ` 27.50 crore to the
government for financial year
(FY) 2012-13.
The cheque was presented
by Debashish Majumdar,
CMD, IREDA, to Ratan P
Watal, Secretary at MNRE
in the presence of other
senior officials. The amount
represents an increase of 10
per cent as compared to last
year. During the FY 2012-
06 | Energy Next | November 2013
A report on solar power sector
by Crisil says that IPPs in the
sector are at a disadvantage
compared to non-IPPs, which
enjoy accelerated depreciation
(AD) benefits. Under various
state policies, the power
producers are awarded
projects on the basis of
competitive bidding at a tariff
of about ` 6.5 per unit.
Crisisl says that the tariffs
offered in competitive biddings
are way below the tariff of `
9.4 per unit that is required
to achieve a reasonable equity
internal rate of return of
around 16 per cent for the
power producers. On the other
hand, there are several
non-IPPs that have been
bidding aggressively over the
recent times, as they can set
off AD against profits from
other businesses.
13, IREDA posted a robust
performance with an all-time
high profit before Tax at `
250.58 crore, registering a
20.40 per cent rise over the
previous fiscal and recorded
its Profit after Tax of ` 202.65
crore compared to ` 173.13
crore over the previous fiscal.
Loan sanctions and
disbursement during 2012-13
stood at ` 3,747.36 crore and `
2,125.50 crore respectively, an
increase of 10.02 per cent in
sanctions and 14.58 per cent in
disbursement as compared to
last year.
India to meet 5%
ethanol blending
target in gasoline sale
F
or the first time since its
inception eight years ago,
India is heading to meet a 5
per cent ethanol target in its
gasoline sales.
The oil-import bill and the
record fall in the value of
rupee widened the
current-account-deficit.
Currently, the country
imports 75 per cent of the
oil consumed by it.
It is expected that a
change in the policy of the
government by 2014 would
provide the much needed
impetus to the production
of ethanol. Earlier, a change
in the sugar policy of the
government brought to the
fore the increased usage of
green fuels.
After the removal of the
sugar market controls in
April, the sugar processors
paid due attention to the
tenders from the state oil
companies. The move came
after the government fixed
the price of ethanol to
` 21 per litre. Sugar industry
officials claimed that they
received a positive response
to the two tenders to provide
2.33 billion litres of ethanol.

ONGC, Chempolis to co-produce bio-ethanol
I ndia’s state-run explorer
Oil and Natural Gas Corp.
Ltd (ONGC) has taken a step
towards clean environment as it
inked a preliminary agreement
with Finland’s Chempolis Ltd,
for the production of ethanol.
ONGC chairman and managing
First phase of GEC to have RE projects in Raj, TN
T he states of Rajasthan
and Tamil Nadu will see
development of solar and wind
energy projects in the first
phase of ` 43,000-crore Green
Energy Corridors (GEC) project.
The Indo-German project
aims to add 30,000 MW to the
national grid by 2020 and the
first phase is estimated to cost
around ` 18,000 crore. Out of
this, ` 10,000 crore is to be
invested in Rajasthan and Tamil
Nadu. Germany has committed
director Sudhir Vasudeva said
that with the signing of the
agreement, ONGC would get
information about the usage
of the technology which would
convert cellulose into ethanol.
The collaboration with the
Finnish company would also
reduce dependence on the
import of oil. Vasudeva said
that they are looking forward
to using the Finnish technology
for the conversion of the solar
energy into thermal energy,
which could be utilised for
heating.
In a bid to trim down the
reliance on hydrocarbons,
the government had issued a
directive in January where it
was mentioned that by 2017,
there should be 20 per cent
ethanol in each litre of petrol.
technical and financial
assistance of Euro 1 billion for
the GEC project under the Indo-
German bilateral development
cooperation programme.
According to sources, the
initial funding for the project
will be finalised soon and the
first tranche of ` 2,500 crore is
expected to come from Germany.
A sub-group has been appointed
and it will soon write to the
Finance Ministry to seek the first
tranche.
national
India tops in RE Energiser
priority list
DuPont plans
J ohn Bryson, former US
secretary of Commerce
and head of the Bryson
to unveil solar
products in
India and
Climate Initiative, considers is in talks
India to be top priority in with several
the list of countries as far as
domestic
deploying renewable energy panel
projects is concerned.
manufacturers
At an event in Bangalore, to ascertain
Bryson said that his concern the concept
was to explore potential and feasibility
for adoption of renewable of new
energy in India, China and products that
Taiwan. He also stressed the would address
role of renewable energy the critical
generation, energy efficiency
needs of the
and green building concepts
sector.
in enhancing economical
growth.
“Bryson Climate Initiative is
exploring opportunities in
India and China to work on
climate change technologies.
According to me, it is
not just the government
but more so the private
sector which could make a
difference,” Bryson stated.
Padu S Padmanaban,
founder member, CII-
Green Business Centre and
former program director
and senior energy advisor
at USAID India, urged the
policy makers to include
energy efficiency in the RPO
obligations of the states.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 07
 news
Energiser Green buildings could reach 1 lakh by 2025
A
My Eco mid concerns of climate
Energy is change and environmental
planning to degradation, the concept of
foray into the green buildings is gaining
Indian biofuel prominence and the number
industry. of such buildings is likely to
It aims to increase in the coming years.
power the
The concept of `Green’
vehicles of
should reach every nook and
the future
corner of the country and
with its every construction should be
revolutionary designed Green, Dr K Rosaiah,
bio-diesel
made from
waste
materials
including
vegetable oils
and animal
fat.
Agenda for clean technology development
W ith an aim to boost clean
technology development
in the country, FICCI proposed
a 10-point agenda. The strategy
was spelt out by Naina Lal
Kidwai, president, at FICCI’s India
International Cleantech Summit
2013 held in New Delhi.
The experts called for a push
through an appropriate set
of incentives and policy
prescriptions, since early stages
of clean technology revolution
would need government
handholding to make the shift
08 | Energy Next | November 2013
the Governor of Tamil Nadu
said at the International
Conference & Exhibition on
Green Buildings, organised
by the Indian Green Building
Council.
As of now, there are over 2,200
green buildings in India. This
includes hospitals, hotels,
colleges and IT parks. Experts
are of the opinion that the
number may increase to one
lakh by 2025.
IGBC has inked an MoU with
the National Housing Bank for
special concessions for homes
going green. Dr Prem C Jain,
Chairman of IGBC, said that
already, there were over 600
Million sq ft of green homes
and the footprint will multiply
manifold.
to clean technology adoption, a
cost-effective proposition. The
FICCI president said that clean
technology will be underpinning
of inclusive growth in India,
besides its impact on energy
security, climate change and
environment. It has the potential
to bring about social innovation
and have a positive impact on
education, health and livelihoods.
B K Chaturvedi, Member
(Energy), Planning Commission,
Government of India, stressed on
energy efficiency measures.
Solar Impulse to visit
India in 2015
S
wiss-made
solar-powered plane,
Solar Impulse, will make its
visit to India in 2015 when
it will touch down in New
Delhi during its ‘Round the
round the World Mission’.
The plane will arrive in Delhi
and leave the country from
Varanasi. Gregory Blatt,
head of communication of
this project, was in India
recently to seek clearances
for the plane’s stopovers in
New Delhi and Varanasi.
Solar Impulse is a unique
innovation and seeks to
demonstrate the potential
of clean technology and
renewable energy, even as
the governments across the
world are looking towards
alternative sources of
energy due to fast dwindling
fossil fuel reserves.
The plane has successfully
completed its US mission
completely on energy
generated from solar panels
installed on it. A solar-
powered plane bidding to
fly across the U.S. landed at
Dulles International Airport
near the nation’s capital on
June 13 this year. The plane
began May 3 in California,
flying via Arizona, Texas,
Missouri and Ohio to Dulles
in Washington’s northern
Virginia suburbs.
Blatt stressed the need for
switching to solar power
in the transport sector,
especially cars. “Solar
Impulse is not designed to
carry passengers, but to carry
a message,” he added.

EESL, Shakti Foundation collaborate for EE
E nergy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL) and
Shakti Sustainable Energy
Foundation (SSEF) have
entered into a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) to
provide impetus to energy
efficiency and conservation in
India.
As per the agreement between
the two organisations, SSEF will
provide technical assistance
to EESL for successful
implementation of its various
energy efficiency programmes.
The key areas of assistance
would include developing and
designing relevant frameworks,
procedures, tools and
protocols.
The SSEF would also provide
aid in organising capacity-
building activities for relevant
stakeholders and it would
comprise state designated
agencies, industries, industries
associations, energy managers
and energy auditors to help in
KPMG provides solar plant to LSR College
C elebrating 20 years of its
presence in India, KPMG
launched the nationwide
initiative towards environmental
sustainability by inaugurating
a project at the Lady Shri Ram
College for Women by providing
them with a solar plant of 75
WP each.
As part of its endeavour to build
a sustainable future, KPMG
launched various projects at 10
different locations in various
educational institutions across
India. KPMG had provided solar
street lights of 75 wp each
to Miranda House and Shri
the implementation.
Ajay Mathur, director general
of the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency, has hailed the
agreement between EESL and
SSEF. He also spoke on the
need to capitalise on this
untapped market.
Ram College of Commerce
in Delhi. The move of KPMG
to set up solar panels is in
accordance with the Millennium
Development Goals, which
fall under the category of
education, environment and
development.
Richard Rekhy, CEO, KPMG in
India said, “We have citizenship
embedded in our values and we
actively encourage our people
to give back to our communities
by investing time in educating
school/college students by
implementing solutions to
environmental issues.”
national
Fuel efficiency norms Energiser
for cars to be delayed
T
The Central
he deadline for
implementation of
government
stringent fuel-efficiency would be
norms designed by the finalising a
Bureau of Energy Efficiency draft policy on
(BEE) is likely to be delayed, non-financial
as the government is yet to incentives to
issue a notification in this promote green
regard to car makers in the buildings in
country. the country. It
As per the initial plans, the
will conduct
efficiency norms was to be dialogues
launched in two phase- the with state
first starting in 2015 and governments
the second in 2020. Since for deciding
the notification for the the incentives
first phase is not likely to for green
be issued before 2014, the buildings.
deadline may be pushed
till 2017. According to B
K Chaturvedi, Planning
Commission member in-
charge of energy, the norms
are likely to be notified
in 2014 and will become
mandatory much later.
The Indian government
wants to make it mandatory
for car makers to improve
per kilometre mileage by at
least 20 per cent by 2022
from the current average
of 16.6km per litre of fuel.
Currently, out of the 80 car
models in the country, only
7 to 8 models adhere to the
prescribed norms.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 09
 news
Energiser Punjab CM favours optimum use of agri-waste
Madhya
Pradesh aims
to install
2,600 MW
of renewable
energy
capacity by
June 2015,
out of which
1,200 MW
will be from
solar power
C
installations hief Minister of Punjab,
adding to the Parkash Singh Badal has
existing 202 formulated a committee
MW capacity. under Agriculture department
secretary K S Pannu with an
aim to undertake research
to find out how recycled
agriculture waste could be
used as alternative fuel.
The officials belonging to
ANERT seeks Central subsidy for rooftop project
T he Kerala government
plans to implement a
grid-connected rooftop solar
power programme wherein
solar panels will be installed at
various government and
non-governmental institutions.
The nodal agency in the
state-Agency for Non-
conventional Energy and Rural
Technology (ANERT)- has
sought central subsidies to
the tune of ` 18 crore. The
agency has also applied for the
30 per cent discount offered
10 | Energy Next | November 2013
the Riela’ company made
a presentation before the
CM and apprised him of the
technology that they would use
for converting the agriculture
waste for developing fuel,
which would be used as an
alternative to coal.
Badal took the decision
for increasing the usage of
alternative fuel at a meeting
comprising representatives
of the company along with
officials of the Industry and
Pollution Control departments.
Since there was an excess of
biomass, he said it could be
utilised for captive power
generation and it would also
prove advantageous for the
farmers as it would help
increase their income.
by the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE) for
such projects.
According to M Jayaraju,
director at ANERT, the project
aims to establish rooftop
solar power systems with a
cumulative installed capacity of
1.83 MW at various locations,
which includes the State
Assembly, Kerala University’s
Kariavattom campus, 10
collectorate buildings, other
government and private
buildings.
Gujarat invites bid
for 10 MW canal-
top solar project
T
he state government of
Gujarat has announced a
new canal-top solar power
project worth 10 MW. In
this regard, the government
recently invited bids for the
projects from prospective
project developers.
The bids on an engineering,
procurement, construction
and commissioning (EPC)
basis on lump sum price were
invited for and on behalf
of Sardar Sarovar Narmada
Nigam Limited (SSNNL), a
public sector undertaking
under the Government of
Gujarat for setting up the
grid-connected solar PV
project. The project will be
in line with the 1mw capacity
canal top project on Narmada
canal.
Successful bidders will be
given the responsibility for
execution of the project. This
would include engineering,
procurement, construction,
testing, commissioning and
O&M for a span of twenty five
years.
The estimated cost of the
project is around ` 90 crore
for EPC work and ` 22.25
crore for O&M work. Apart
from funds by the Centre
and the state government,
financing of the project will
also be done through the
internal resources of SSNNL.

TN to launch residential rooftop solar scheme
T he Tamil Nadu government
is planning to issue
guidelines for subsidy with
regard to installation of
rooftop solar power systems in
residential areas on the lines
of scheme launched by Kerala
earlier.
Once the guidelines are in
place, the domestic consumers
will be able to send online
applications to the Tamil Nadu
Energy Development Agency
(TEDA)- the implementing
agency for solar rooftop
Karnataka revises solar, wind power tariffs
T
he Karnataka Electricity
Regulatory Commission
(KERC) recently announced a
hike in the wind and solar power
tariffs. The regulatory body
increased the tariff for wind
power generation from ` 3.70
to ` 4.20 per unit following a
complaint from petitioners that
it was difficult to set up a new
project due to a surge in the
cost.
HSBC had said in its report
that wind energy was cost-
competitive and adequate
support from the government
would provide the much needed
impetus to the generation of
power. However, the Indian Wind
Power Association had said that
the order would take an adverse
toll on the wind energy sector.
capital incentive.
The incentive for setting up
solar power systems will be
` 20,000 per applicant for
a plant of one kW capacity.
This will be in addition to the
30 per cent subsidy from the
Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE) on capital
cost. The total cost of one
unit of rooftop solar power
system will be ` 1 lakh and the
domestic consumer will have
to bear an upfront cost of
` 50,000.
In the solar sector, the revised
tariffs are ` 8.40 per unit for
solar PV, ` 10.92 per unit for
solar thermal, ` 9.56 per unit
for small solar PV plants and
rooftop installation and ` 7.20
per unit for rooftop and small
solar PV plants with 30 per cent
government subsidy on capital
costs.
state
IBM, TPDDL to Energiser
accelerate smart
grid deployment The revised
draft
amendment
to Planning
and Building
Standards
Regulations
2008,
mandates
all the hotels
and hospitals
besides big
residential and
commercial
buildings in
Bhubaneswar,
to install
rooftop solar
power plants.
T ata Power Delhi
Distribution Ltd (TPDDL)
and IBM have come together
for conceptualising,
designing and delivering
an Advanced Smart Grid
solution that will collect
and analyse real-time
information from smart
meters and data from
the communication and
management infrastructure.
IBM has been chosen to
support TPDDL to create a
system architecture, ensure
adherence to international
smart grid standards,
optimise business process
and incorporate dynamic
business analytics function
to offer actionable insights.
The project will enable
TPDDL to better manage
energy output and further
reduce outages.
“TPDDL is committed to
accelerating smart grid
deployment which will give
customers more visibility and
control in managing their
energy usage and transform
the electric network into a
robust, secure and intelligent
system. This is an important
milestone.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 11
 news
Energiser US to give $60 mn boost to solar energy research
Ethiopia has
commissioned
Africa’s
largest wind
farm at a cost
of $289.68
million.
French firm
Vergnet SA
B
constructed uilding on President Barrack
the Ashegoda Obama’s broad-based
Wind plan to cut carbon pollution
Farm with and support clean energy
concessional innovation across the country,
loans from Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
BNP Paribas recently announced about $60
and AFD, while million to support innovative
9 per cent solar energy research and
of the cost development.
was borne by As part of the department’s
the Ethiopian SunShot Initiative, these
government. awards will help lower the cost
of solar electricity, advance
seamless grid integration and
World set to get 300 GW wind power
T he global capacity of wind
energy has reached close to
300 GW with the total installed
capacity at 2,96,255 MW by the
end of June 2013, according
to the Half-Yearly Report
by Worldwide Wind Energy
Association (WWEA). The report
predicts the worldwide wind
energy capacity to reach 318 GW
by the end of the year.
The capacity addition in the first
six months of 2013 accounted
for about 14 GW, which is less
than the total installation of 16
12 | Energy Next | November 2013
support a growing US solar
workforce.
“The tremendous growth in
the US solar industry over
the past few years is helping
to pave the way to a cleaner,
more sustainable energy future
that protects our air and water
and provides affordable clean
energy to more and more
Americans,” said Moniz.
As part of the latest
announcement, the Energy
Department is investing
more than $12 million
across 17 companies to help
commercialise a wide range
of technologies and services
– from online tools that can
map a rooftop’s solar potential
in seconds to automated
installation systems for utility
scale photovoltaic plants.
GW in the corresponding period
last year. Despite a slump in the
US wind energy market, the new
capacity installation globally has
been compensated partly due to
new emerging markets.
However, the traditional wind
countries China, US, Germany,
Spain and India, still hold the
fort with a share of 73 per cent
of the total global wind capacity.
China continued to dominate
the wind energy market this year
as well, with its total installed
capacity reaching 80 GW.
$300 million
invested globally
in EE
T
he scale of global
investment in
energy efficiency and its
contribution to energy
demand are as significant
as those of other developed
supply-side resources, the
International Energy Agency
(IEA) said on the occasion
of unveiling a new report.
It describes a wide range of
energy efficiency activities
worldwide in market terms.
The inaugural Energy
Efficiency Market Report
joins the IEA market
reports for oil, gas, coal
and renewable energy,
highlighting the place of
energy efficiency as a major
fuel. “Energy efficiency
has been called a ‘hidden
fuel’, yet, it is hiding in
plain sight,” IEA Executive
Director Maria van der
Hoeven said.
The report notes that
energy efficiency markets
around the world drew
an investment of up to
$300 billion in 2011, a
level on par with global
investments in renewable
energy or fossil-fuel power
generation. The two key
factors have driven the
recent growth of the energy
efficiency market: effective
policies and the high price
of energy.

Japan’s crop and solar synergy
F
armers in Japan have hailed
the generation of solar
energy on their farmland after
the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries granted
permission in April for the
installation of solar PV systems
on agricultural land.
The concept of ‘solar sharing’
which primarily means
cultivation of crops along with
generation of solar energy
on the same farmland, was
developed by Akira Nagashima
in 2004. He studied biology
after retiring as an agricultural
machinery engineer and
gathered information about
Chile doubles renewable energy target
T o bring down the reliance
on imported fossil fuels for
meeting the energy needs of the
country, Chile has doubled its
renewable-energy target. The
South American nation wants
to encourage investment in
new power plants and is in the
process of soliciting competitive
bids in 2015. To meet the new
targets, the utilities are required
‘Light saturation point.’ He
also mooted the idea of double
generation as he discovered
that after a point, sunlight
does not boost the rate of
photosynthesis in plants.
In order to enable adequate
sunlight to fall on the ground
for photosynthesis, he
developed a special structure,
which was made from pipes
and rows of solar PV panels,
arranged at regular intervals.
The structure looked like a
pergola in the garden and it
provides shelter to the cattle
owing to the high soil moisture
level.
to get 20 per cent of their power
from renewable energy sources
by 2025. Previously, utilities in
the country owning at least 200
MW of capacity needed to source
5 per cent of their energy from
renewable sources, rising to 10
percent
According to Maria Paz de
la Cruz, director of Chile’s
Renewable Energy Center, the
country will need around 6,500
MW of renewable power capacity
that would come from projects
including solar farms and small
hydroelectric dams. As of now,
the installed renewable capacity
in the nation stands at 1,000
MW.
international
Encouraging women Energiser
to enter solar industry
Solar PV has
T o further participation
of women in the
solar power industry, the
reached a
point where it
is beginning
Middle East Solar Power to develop
Association has formed regardless
a programme so as to of financial
encourage them to opt for a
support
career in the field.
even though
Accordingly, the Association feed-in tariffs
has launched a mentoring still remain
programme and is also the primary
organising events which market driver,
feature women who have says IEA’s
climbed the solar-power PVPS’ 18th
career ladder. In fact, the ‘Trends in
‘Women in Solar’ initiative
Photovoltaic
aims at encouraging greater
Applications’
female participation.
report.
According to Michelle
Davies, head of clean
energy and sustainability
at Eversheds, a global
corporate law firm and
a member of the Women
in Solar advisory board,
the solar power industry
stands to benefit a lot if
the participation women
increase.
The experts are of the view
that participation of more
women in the solar power
industry in the region will
not only help increase
the pool of skilled people
competing for jobs, but it
will also lead to fostering
innovation and new ideas.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 13
 Cover Story RE in India

Shining in all s
While India is now a global leader in renewable energy, there
are challenges that need to be addressed too. Upendra Singh
tracks the growth and also details the measures needed to
make it a new growth propeller for the century

T
he performance of
India’s renewable energy
(RE) sector is not just
impressive but
phenomenal too, considering that it
has helped in fostering the country’s
growth. With renewables showing an
imprint across the length and breadth
of the country, the landscape of
energy generation has surely changed
for the better.
The industry is growing at a rapid
pace and in all likelihood, will surpass
natural gas around 2015 and catch
up with coal by 2035, according to
the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Global environmental and economic
trends too have contributed in the
growth of renewables. For instance,
the worldwide trend to reduce
dependence on fossil fuel has been
emulated by India too, resulting in
the growth of the renewable energy
sector.
Presently, the share of renewable
energy in the country’s energy mix
stands close to 13 per cent and it is
on track to meet the goal of 15 per
cent of renewables by the end of this
decade set under National Action
Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
In fact, the achievements are a mere
stepping stone for the country in
its path towards taking the big leap
ahead. Industry experts believe that a
more proactive policy approach like
the one for manufacturing industry is
needed to tap the unlimited
renewable potential in the minimum
time period. “Most new jobs in the
coming years would come from
renewables if we create an
appropriate environment to make
new technologies acceptable faster,”
says Dr Nitant V Mate, head of
technology and execution at Kirloskar
Integrated Techogies.
Achievements
Over the last three decades, India has
made consistent progress in the
development of renewable energy
technology and the sector
leapfrogged to new heights over the
last decade. Due to aggressive and
proactive policies pursued by the
government, the RE sector in the
country has an installed capacity of
over 29 GW. In 2002, the installed
capacity of renewable energy in the
country’s energy mix was just 2 per
cent. It rose to 6 per cent in the next
five years, and today, it is around 13
per cent. In fact, the Eleventh Five
Year Plan (2007-2012) witnessed an
unprecedented 500 per cent growth

14 | Energy Next | November 2013

shades
Most new jobs
in the coming
years would
come from
renewables if
we create an
appropriate
environment
Dr Nitant V Mate

in the grid-connected renewable

energy capacity.

In the current five-year plan, the

Ministry of New & Renewable Energy
(MNRE) has set a target of
installing 30,000 MW of renewable
power capacity. With the help of a
conducive policy for private investors
and adequate incentives at various
levels, the ministry is also trying to
create a balance between project
development and the manufacturing

November 2013 | Energy Next | 15

 Cover Story RE in India
front. On the financing side, MNRE’s
financial arm- Indian Renewable
Energy Development Agency
(IREDA)- is doing a commendable
job in propelling the development of
renewable energy in the country.
Sectoral Advancements
Wind Energy
While the MNRE has been
encouraging power generation from
all the sources of renewable energy, it
is the wind energy sector which rules
in India. With an installed
capacity nearing 20 GW, the share of
wind energy in the country’s total
renewable energy capacity is about 70
per cent. Globally, the country ranks
fifth in total installed wind energy
capacity and is among the top most
preferred destinations for wind power
investments, thanks to a supportive
environment and incentives provided
by the government. Besides project
development, the wind turbine
manufacturing industry is also thriving,
with a number of turbine
manufacturers catering to domestic as
well as foreign markets.
The third edition of the report “India
16 | Energy Next | November 2013
government
is committed
to providing
a favourable
environment for
harnessing offshore
wind energy in the
country
ratan p watal
Wind Energy Outlook”, reveals that
India will be one of the global leaders in
wind power and has a key role in
fuelling the country’s growing
economy with clean energy generation.
The wind industry did suffer a
temporary setback when the Finance
Ministry decided to end two
important incentive
schemes- accelerated depreciation
(AD) and generation based incentive
(GBI)- which were the major
propelling factors behind the growth
of the sector for almost a decade.
However, with MNRE instrumental in
getting the GBI reinstated, the sector
is expected to be back on track.
All the capacity in the wind energy
sector has been through onshore
installations and India is yet to kick start
its venture into the offshore wind
segment. In May 2013, the MNRE
released a Draft National Offshore Wind
Energy Policy and is now in the process
of coming out with an effective policy
soon. According to Ratan P Watal,
Secretary, MNRE, the government is
committed to providing a favourable
environment for harnessing offshore
wind energy in the country.
Solar Energy
With abundant sunshine throughout
the year, India is an ideal destination
for solar power generation. The launch
of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar
Mission (JNNSM) in January 2010 gave
a fillip to the sector and today, India
is seen as one of the top global solar
markets.
Phase-I of the Mission which ended on
March 31, 2013, was an unprecedented
success with the country
achieving more than the target.
Against a target of 1,100 MW of grid-
connected solar power, India saw an
installation of 1,684 MW, which also
included the capacity addition under
the state initiatives. As of september
30, 2013 the grid-connected capacity
in the country has crossed 2 GW mark,
besides steady progress in the off-grid
segment. In solar thermal collectors
for low grade water heating, 7 million
square meters was envisaged and that
was successfully achieved.
“The JNNSM has acted as the ‘
Engine of Growth’ and has put India
on the global solar map in quick
 [ MILESTONES ]
A Commission for Additional Creation of Department The JNNSM
Source of Energy commission in of Non-Conventional has acted as
line with Atomic Energy Commis- Energy Sources for devel-
1981 sion was constituted with overall 1982 opment, demonstration the ‘Engine of
responsibility of developing RE and application of RE Growth’, and
put India on
1982 the global
Expansion of
Ministry of En-
solar map in
ergy to Include quick time
Department of Debasish P
Petroleum and Choudhury
Department of Non-con- Non- Conven-
1993 ventional Energy Sources
was upgraded to Ministry of
tional Energy
Sources
Renewable
power purchase 1992 Non-Conventional Energy
guideline Sources (MNES)

2005
National time. A lot of credit for the
Electricity Policy proliferation and growth of the
recognising the grid-connected solar power projects
role of RE in goes to our entrepreneurs who lapped
areas where grid up this business opportunity emanating
National Tariff Policy,
electricity is
neither cost which directed SERCs to
2006 from the JNNSM and the Gujarat Solar
Rural Power Policy 2009,” avers Debasish P
effective nor fix a minimum percentage
feasible 2006 for purchase of energy
Electrification
Policy, which
Choudhury, owner of Off Grid SolarBiz
from RE sources India Group.
talks about
use of RE even
“A note of thanks should also go to
where grid con-
nectivity exists power regulators such as Central
provided it is Energy Regulatory Commission (CERC)
cost effective and other state regulators for creating
a favourable business environment
for such large-scale investments in
2006 2006 solar sector in the country. Batch-I of
Integrated Energy Policy Report (Planning MNES renamed as
Phase-II allocation of 750 MW, though
Commission). Suggested path to meet Ministry of New
2008 energy needs in an integrated manner up and Renewable delayed, would still galvanise the
to 2031-32 with special focus on RE Energy (MNRE) sagging morale of the Indian solar
power producers, mainly the IPP’s,
who are worst hit by this delay,” he
National Action adds.
Plan on Climate
Change for
sustainable
Small Hydro Power
development India has a potential of generating
path to achieve 15,386 MW of electricity from small
Launch of Jawaharlal Nehru hydro power (SHP) plants, primarily in
economic &
National Solar Mission (JNNSM)
environmental the hilly regions.
with a target of installing 20,000
objectives 2010 MW of grid-connected solar
power by 2022 As of September 30, 2013, SHP
projects aggregating 3726.75 MW

November 2013 | Energy Next | 17

 Cover Story RE in India
have been set up across the
country and the target is to reach
around 4,000 MW by the end of the
current fiscal.
SHP can be termed as the oldest
renewable energy technology to
be employed in India dating back
to 1897 with the first project being
set up at Sidrapong near Darjeeling.
However, the sector didn’t witness
significant growth till the mid 1990s,
as the focus was on developing large
hydro projects primarily due to
economic reasons.
It was in 1995 that SHP sector took a
big leap, when private sector
participation was encouraged. Till
then, all the small hydro projects
were set up by the public sector.
Since 1995 however, it was the private
18 | Energy Next | November 2013
sector that took charge. MNRE came We installed
out with several incentive schemes
like low power tariffs, concession in
1,419 MW of
excise duty, income tax and other SHP capacity
taxes to promote private sector during the
investment in the sector. IREDA, a five year
Govt. of India enterprise under the
period from
MNRE, has played a major role in
financing SHP projects with a lion
2007 to 2012.
share of around 70 per cent. “We Of this about
installed 1,419 MW of SHP capacity 1,200 MW was
during the five year period from 2007 from the
to 2012. Of this, about 1,200 MW was
private sector
from the private sector,” informs Dr
Dr Praveen Saxena
Praveen Saxena, Advisor, MNRE.
Dr Saxena adds that the SHP sector
performed really well for a decade
and a half, the top performing states
being Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Himachal Pradesh, only to witness a
slowdown over the last two years or so.

The sector also received a jolt in the
aftermath of flash floods in
Uttarakhand when the
environmentalists blamed hydro
projects as one of the primary reasons
behind the mishap. Despite the odds, it
has to be said that SHP projects lead to
inclusive growth of the remote
locations where they are set up.
MNRE expects the sector to perform
well and help the country in
meeting the target set under NAPCC.
“We are expecting a capacity
addition of about 2,100 MW during
12th Plan period,” Dr Saxena states on
an optimistic note.
Bio-energy
Bio-energy basically includes three
sources; namely solid biomass, liquid
biofuel and biogas. As of September
30,2013, the total installed power
capacity from biomass-based power
plants, bagasse cogeneration and
urban waste-to-power stands at
3,776.36 MW. According to the MNRE,
the total potential of power
generation capacity from biomass is
about 565 million tonnes per year and
an additional 189 million tonnes from
agricultural and forest residue can
help in creating of 25 GW of
installed capacity. Moreover, 1,300
MW of energy can be produced by
using industrial waste water from
distilleries and other industries.
For attracting investment in
biomass-based power plants, the
government has been providing
incentives which include fiscal
incentives such as 80 per cent
accelerated depreciation, concessional
import duty, excise duty, tax
holiday for 10 years and so on. It is
also encouraging model biomass
power projects to showcase
advanced and innovative
technological features to prospective
investors. The states have
determined preferential tariffs and
IREDA is providing easy loans for
setting up biomass power and
bagasse cogeneration projects.
In the case of biogas, the potential
capacity is estimated at 17,350 million
m3. In India, cattle manure is the most
preferred and used fuel in a majority
of biogas plants. As per estimates, a
total of 12 million family-sized biogas
plants can be installed in the country.
There are about 4 million family-sized
biogas plants in operation across India
whereas in the large-scale biogas
category, the installed capacity is
close to 100 MW.
Despite its huge potential, the country
has not fared as per expectations.
“Considering the potential, the
country in general and the state of
We need to
have state
specific
solutions,
incentives and
assistance for
promoting
biogas plants
Shyam Patra
Uttar Pradesh (UP) in particular, have
performed very badly in the biogas
sector. One of the main reasons being
no maintenance of service facility for
biogas plants once installed and the
lack of training for customers,” says
Shyam Patra, founder and Director
of Naturetech Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd.,
which is involved in setting up clean
cooking units- Flexi Biogas plants in
rural households of UP.
For greater deployment of improved
and efficient biomass cook stoves,
MNRE has introduced performance
and testing standards so that good and
reliable products reach
customers. Patra suggests, “There
has to be an extensive survey to find
out reasons for the failure and lower
demand for such biogas plants and
accordingly prepare a state wise
report. We need to have state-specific
solutions, incentives and assistance for
promoting biogas plants.”
To propel the Bio-energy sector,
plans are afoot to incept a National
Bio Energy Mission on the lines of the
National Solar Mission. The MNRE
established multiple working groups
in 2010-11 and produced a draft of
the Mission which was web hosted in
November 2013 | Energy Next | 19
 Cover Story RE in India
August 2011. Concurrently, the CII
Bio-energy task force drafted a
strategy document and discussed
about various aspects with the Planning
Commission and MNRE. The MNRE
draft as well as the CII note highlights
the need for a comprehensive study for
the sectoral growth.
Challenges and the
way forward
India has huge renewable energy
sources and there has been an
increasing awareness for the
adoption of clean energy over the
years. The country’s wind and solar
capacity has more than doubled in
the last five years and the government
expects to enhance the cumulative
growth of the renewable sector over
the next five years. Despite making
great strides and being one of the
most preferred investment
destinations in the renewable sector
globally, there are a number of
challenges that remain.
While several studies and reports
present a long list of challenges faced
by the renewable sector, the major
issues include financing, infrastructure
creation, policy stability, research and
development (R&D), innovation and
technical manpower. Experts feel that
the government is not spending the
required amount on R&D activities as
compared to developed nations.
However, the country today has
several dedicated research and
assessment centres to cater to the
needs of the sector.
The Solar Energy Centre (SEC) in
Gurgaon is a dedicated unit of the
MNRE for development of solar energy
and related technologies. Soon, it will
be transformed into National Institute
of Solar Energy (NISE). Likewise, for
the wind energy development, there
is Centre for Wind Energy Technology
(C-WET) in Chennai; Sardar Swaran
Singh National Institute of Renewable
Energy (SSS-NIRE) in Kapurthala, Punjab
20 | Energy Next | November 2013
All the
stakeholders have
contributed for
growth of the
sector, especially
the financial
institutions like
IREDA, PFC, REC
and other major
banks
B V Rao
for biomass sector; and Alternate Hydro
Energy Centre (AHEC) in Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT)- Roorkee to
promote the SHP sector.
As far as financing of renewable
projects is concerned, financial
institutions feel a bit insecure in
investing their money on the ground
that the energy output from RE
sources is infirm. B V Rao, chief general
manager (Tech), IREDA, however gives
an optimistic view when he says, “Over
the last five years, a greater awareness
has been created about the
renewable energy in the country. All
the stakeholders have contributed to
the growth of the sector, especially
the financial institutions like IREDA,
Power Finance Corporation (PFC),
Rural Electrification Corporation (REC)
and other major banks. These
institutions have evolved various
innovative financing models,
fine-tuning to the needs of the
industry.”
The other major challenge is the lack of
adequate evacuation and transmission
infrastructure. Power producers who
set up renewable energy projects need
to feed the power generated at the
sites into the grid to meet their business
ends. For addressing this issue, the
Indian government has come out with
several initiatives in collaboration with
the respective state governments. One
major step in this regard is the Green
Energy Corridor (GEC) which is being
built across seven states to facilitate
the flow of renewable energy into the
national grid.
According to Watal, the GEC is being
implemented with assistance from
Germany which has promised to
provide developmental and technical
assistance of €1 billion as soft credit.
The Indian government also plans to
roll out ` 43,000-crore for this
ambitious project.
Wind Is Not
Out Of Wind
After braving odds, the most notable
among them being the withdrawal of
incentives such as accelerated
depreciation and the generation base
incentive, the wind industry is now trying
to find its bearings. Sapna Gopal explores
what lies in the offing for this sector
A
fter a brief lull, it appears as if
the wind energy sector in India
has finally got a breather.
Recently, when the Mercom Capital
Group released its Q3 2013 Wind
Funding and M&A Report, it
mentioned several notable
transactions in the wind sector. The
report is a comprehensive breakdown
of funding and M&A activity in the wind
sector in the third quarter of 2013.
“Green Infra, a renewable energy
power producer, acquired a
majority stake in TVS Energy, a
subsidiary of TVS Motor, for an
undisclosed amount. With the latest
acquisition, Green Infra has added
59.75 MW of wind farms across
November 2013 | Energy Next | 21
 Cover Story RE in India
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, taking
its operating capacity to 377 MW”, it
stated.
Moreover, the fact that companies are
continuing to invest in the wind energy
sector also spells good news for the
industry perhaps. For instance, Tata
Power is developing wind projects
having a total generation capacity of
over 160 MW in the country. It already
has an installed wind energy
generation capacity of 398 MW with
projects across Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Welspun Energy, on the other hand,
aims to have an installed capacity of
1,700 MW of solar and wind power
by 2017.
Also, recently, it was reported that
22 | Energy Next | November 2013
Spain-based wind turbine The positives of
manufacturer Gamesa had signed an
agreement to supply 54 MW in wind
wind energy and
turbines to an Indian electric utility its contribution
company. The contract calls for the to employment
wind farm development, as well as the has impact on the
supply, installation, commissioning social economic
and maintenance for 10 years of 27
G97-2.0 MW wind turbines at
fabric of rural
Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. India that makes the
The commissioning should be sector sustainable
completed by May 2014. for present and the
future
In India, Gamesa has installed over
D V Giri
900 MW and manages capacity of
more than 800 MW under O&M
agreements. In its capacity as wind
farm developer, Gamesa's project
pipeline in India stands at 4,300 MW.
The numbers too speak of a
favourable position that the wind
 Annual market forecast by region 2012-2017
Europe north america asia latin america pacific middle east and africa

30 [gw]

25.5
25 24
22.5
20.5
20 19

15 14.9 15.5 15
14 13.5
12.7 13 12.5
11 11
10 10
9
6.5
5
2.8 3 2.2 2.5 3 3
2
1.2 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.8 1 1 1.5 1 1.2
0 0.1
source: gwec 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

sector in India is in. Of the 29,000
MW of renewable energy set up in the
country, the number of wind energy
installations has been to the tune of
19,500 MW.
“Wind generation in India is largely
dependent on trade winds, the South
Westerly monsoon winds that occur
between May and September of each
year. In Tamil Nadu, which has an
installation of 7,165 MW of wind mills,
the daily generation of wind energy is to
enable penetration of 78 Million Units
(out of 250 Million Units consumed
in the State), which is 31.08 per cent”,
states Dr K Kasthurirangaian, chairman
of the Indian Wind Power Association
(IWPA).
Globally too, the conditions seem to
be favouring the sector. A very recent
report released by the International
Energy Agency (IEA), reveals that
wind power could generate up to 18
per cent of the world's electricity by
2050, compared to what it is now, a
mere 2.6 per cent.
This, coupled with the re-instatement
of Generation Based Incentive (GBI), The wind sector in
does it mean that encouraging times
lie ahead of the wind sector in India?
India had slowed
It may be recalled that the withdrawal as a result of
of incentives of Accelerated not having GBI.
Depreciation (AD) and GBI from April 1, The market is
2012 by the Indian government
now expected to
reduced annual additions to 1,700 MW
in the year 2012-13 and there was a loss
recover since
of investment of US $ 1800 Million. generation based
incentives have
According to D V Giri, secretary been reinstated and
general, Indian Wind Turbine
projects can expect
Manufacturers Association (IWTMA),
the wind energy sector did suffer a healthier returns
setback with no incentive policy in the Raj Prabhu, CEO, Mercom
entire financial year 2012-13. “We are
glad that the GBI has been
reintroduced with an upper cap of Rs
1 crore to cover projects in the plan
period 2012-17. IREDA has also issued
guidelines for registration of projects.”
While he admits that GBI will greatly use. “We hasten to add that AD is a
help the Indian Power Producers tax deferral and not a subsidy and is
(IPPs) to plan large projects, he also available to many products inclusive
adds that there is a definite need for of high efficiency coal fired boilers.”
reintroduction of AD, as it would help
the MSME sector and also those who However, some others in the industry
use the generated power for captive feel that this good run of the wind

November 2013 | Energy Next | 23

 Cover Story RE in India

TRACING INDIA’S WIND JOURNEY

1980 The Indian Institute of Tropical Metrology (IITM) was started for identi-
fying resources locations with a Wind density of more than 200 W per sq metre in
the Country where Wind farms for generation of electricity could be located.
IITM installed 127 Wind monitoring stations in 127 locations in 10 States of India to
collect wind data.

1985 Danish Agency offered 55 KW Wind Mills for sample specimen installa-
tion in 5 states, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

1990s The first volume “Wind Energy Resources Survey for India “was
published giving details of Wind Energy potential in the Country. Seven volumes of
such data published in 1990’s identified 200 locations in 8 States, most of them in
Western half of India. Tamil Nadu had the maximum, 60 windy locations.

1992 The Government of India offered to provide 100 per cent Accelerated
Depreciation (AD) for the amount invested in Wind Mills under Income tax act.
**Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) was established as a separate
Ministry to look after growth of wind and other forms Renewable Energy sources.
**MNRE established Centre for Wind Energy Technology (CWET) at Chennai to
look after Research, Training, and Resource Mapping etc. RLMM Committee with
chosen members from CWET, investing and Manufacturing Sectors
**IREDA regulates quality of machines to be installed in the Country.
industry comes with its own set of
1994 AD was reduced to 80 per cent. It was agreed that once an investment
problems. Elucidates Vineet Mittal,
co-founder and Managing Director of
is made in a wind mill, for the next 20 years, there will not be any escalation in cost
of energy. It was found that sample wind mills installed in Kayatharu and Ketha- Welspun Energy Ltd, “There was a lot of
noor by TNEB in Tamil Nadu did not give any problem to investors and were easy cheer in August 2013 when the
to maintain. Local Wind Turbine Manufacturing Companies likes Vestas, NEPC–Mi- government announced restoration of
con, TTG Husummer Came forward to install Wind Mills on a Turn Key basis like subsidy for the wind sector. The
buying land, getting approvals, Supplying Machine, Installing and Commissioning proposal revived Generation-Based
Wind Mills within a period of 6 Months Incentive (GBI) of Rs 500 per
megawatt-hour. It also raised the cap
April 2011 to March 2012 Annual additions to Wind Energy on total subsidy, whereby a wind-based
installations in India rose from a few hundred MW per year to 3,200 MW costing power producer can claim over 10
US$ 3840 Million in the financial year from April 2011 to March 2012. The genera- years by 61 per cent to ` 10 million.
tion Based Incentive (GBI) of 50 paise incentive for every KW Hr or Unit of energy
However, this good run faces serious
generated was awarded for Independent power producers who do not have any
roadblocks. The overall power sector is
running business in India to avail Accelerated Depreciation.
already under pressure due to

2012-13 The withdrawal of incentives such as Accelerated Depreciation

increasing interest rates. The wind tariff
in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
(AD) and Generation Based Incentive (GBI) from April 1, 2012, reduce annual addi-
tions to 1,700 MW, a loss of $1800 Million. Gujarat is not attractive due to low wind
regimes, exploitation of good sites,

24 | Energy Next | November 2013


increased land prices and transportation
cost.”
Formally, reinstating the GBI also
came at a time when the Indian
economy and more specifically the
Rupee was having its own set of
problems. “Due to the weakening
Rupee, the targeted investment in
wind sector may not happen,” Mittal
had told Energy Next. Some others
in the industry are of the opinion that
despite the re-instatement, a delay
in the re-introduction of GBI caused
much uncertainty in the sector. “By the
time it was announced, some invest-
ment decisions had been delayed
enough such that the projects can only
get commissioned in the next financial
year. While the introduction of GBI has
provided certainty on this, the sector is
facing higher uncertainties and delays
in execution of PPAs, regulatory
process in each state, compliance to
RPOs, scheduling regulations, etc lead
to higher cost of capital by 150-250
bps – increasing cost of wind energy
between ` 0.40/kwh to ` 0.70/kwh,”
elaborates Arvind Bansal, CEO &
Director, Continuum Wind Energy
Pvt Ltd.
However, he adds that if the gov-
ernment and regulators focused on
reducing uncertainty and delays, the
industry can grow faster and contribute
significantly to the electricity supply.
“Everything else - capital, technology,
equipment, entrepreneurship, expertise,
demand – are available aplenty.”
if the government
and regulators
focused on
reducing
uncertainty and
delays, the industry
can grow faster
and contribute
significantly to the
electricity supply
arvind bansal
“For now, what is more important is
a capacity addition of 5,000 MW and
above per annum to meet the NAPCC
targets by 2020. There is a strong
manufacturing base with the state-of-
the-art-technology, supply chain hub
where the accent is on localisation. The
manufacturing fraternity and projects
carried out provide direct and indirect
employment for thousands of persons
both in the urban and rural areas. It
must be noted that investment for
almost all projects in the country are
from the private sector. One important
way forward is strict compliance of
RPO which will ensure an all inclusive
growth of wind energy in various wind
states. This will also help the REC
market which has been dormant where
lakhs of certificates are lying unsold and
trading at floor price,” believes Giri.
Some of the other factors which could
give a boost to the sector include
synchronising the Southern grid with
the National Grid. “Synchronisation
of the Southern grid with the rest of
the India National Grid, large plans for
evacuation through the Green
Corridor with financial assistance from
KFW will give an immense boost”, Giri
November 2013 | Energy Next | 25
 Cover Story RE in India

WORLD SCENARIO: Global wind map, installed

capacity and production for lead countries

Thismapiswith-
outprejudice-
tothestatuso-
forsovereignty-
overanyterritory
,tothedelimitatio
nofinternationalf
rontiersandboun
dariesandtothen
ameofanyterrito
ry,cityorarea.

Note: wind
speeds at 80 m
height are shown
with 15 km
resolution.
Source: resource
data from Wiser
et al., 2011;
production and
capacity data
from IEA, 2013.

>> A recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), states that wind power could be the source of one-fifth of the world’s energy by
2050 if the world overcomes all of the obstacles that delay its progress.
>> Titled “I.E.A. Technology Roadmap: Wind Energy – 2013 Edition,” it adds that energy generated from wind could supply 18 per cent of the
world’s demand for power, a large leap from the current 2.6 per cent. It is estimated that the around 300 GW of wind power worldwide today
must increase by eight to ten times to achieve the projected dependence on wind power. This roadmap’s vision would require more than $78
billion in investment in 2012 to progressively reach $150 billion yearly.
>> Under the wind power roadmap envisaged, China is seen overtaking the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or
O.E.C.D. Europe as the leading producer of wind power by 2020 or 2025, with the United States ranking third.

elaborates. Presently, the rate of
additions is around 2,000 MW per year.
“On the whole, India has the capability
of manufacturing, installing and
maintaining WEG installations”, adds
Dr K. Kasthurirangaian.
In a country which has a persistent
supply deficit despite a significantly
suppressed demand, generating
power from wind is probably the best
bet. “Around 400 million people have
no access to electricity, our streets
are not lit leading to higher
incidences of crimes and the
productivity of capital in industry is
limited by largely single shift
operations. The situation is more
complex with the rising deficit of coal
and gas for power,” laments Bansal.
“In such a scenario, wind energy is not
a luxury for India –it is a necessity and
even an affordable luxury. If every input
and factor for conventional industry
is market priced such as market price
for coal, gas, freight, water (which is

26 | Energy Next | November 2013

sea of power
very scarce yet almost free), import
and excise duty concessions, foreign
exchange risk, fuel price variability
risk, etc., then wind energy will come
out cheaper than new conventional
power,” he stresses.
The recent bids submitted for coal based
power in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu have been at levelised
cost of coal based power between `
4.29/kwh to ` 7.11/kwh- higher than
the price of wind energy of ` 3.5 to 6.0/
kwh. Wind energy, with its fixed nominal
Rupee price for 13 to 25 years, allows us
to freeze our cost of energy for a long
period of time, Bansal adds.
Despite the re-introduction of GBI, a
firm policy in place would also help
the wind energy sector a great deal,
veterans in the industry feel.
Dr K. Kasthurirangaian, in one of his
recent articles, states that the lack of
policy support from the government
has taken away the vibrancy of working
from the wind power industry in India.
Explaining further, he adds, “The
installation of evacuation lines and
infrastructure does not keep pace
with additions of wind mills. As of
now, 80 per cent of the total energy
from wind mills is only evacuated
and infrastructure for evacuating
balance of energy is in the process
of being put up.”
The recent bids submitted
for coal based power in Uttar
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu have been at
levelised cost of coal based
power between ` 4.29/kwh to
` 7.11/kwh - higher than the
price of wind energy of
` 3.5 to 6.0/kwh. Wind energy,
with its fixed nominal rupee
price for 13 to 25 years, allows
it to freeze the cost of energy
for a long period of time
November 2013 | Energy Next | 27
 Cover Story RE in India

The wind tariff in

states like Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and
Gujarat is not
attractive due to
low wind regimes,
exploitation of
good sites, increased
land prices and
transportation cost
Vineet Mitt al

What lies ahead

Industry insiders firmly believe that
there cannot be a second opinion to
harness wind energy which has no
fuel cost and does not r equire water.
Elaborates Giri, “It compliments other
forms of fuel. Also, turbines are erected
on a footprint basis. Wind certainly
plays a large role in energy security for
the country without carbon emission
and exhibits a great concern in global
warming and climate change. We
have a potential of over 300,000 MW
with an installation of only 19,000 MW.
This is without counting the potential
in off shore.”

He adds that oil, coal and gas are

not going to last forever and there is
no alternative to renewable energy,
more so the dominant wind energy.
“The positives of wind energy and
its contribution to employment,
expanding domestic manufacturing
base, support to component industry
in the supply chain hub, high positive
impact in the social economic fabric
of rural India makes wind energy not
only just another form of energy, but
a sustainable energy of the present
and the future,” concludes Giri.

28 | Energy Next | November 2013

Caught in logjam
inadequate policy intervention and poor
regulation is hampering the wind sector that
can meet India’s future energy needs in a cost
advantage manner, writes Shailendra Singh Rao

T
he need for energy is cardinal
for the existence of mankind.
But the carbon-based
conventional sources of energy are fast
proving to be one of the greatest threats
to the very existence of mankind on this
planet. Therefore, the leaders all across
the world have agreed to keep the
Global Mean Temperature rise below
2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial
levels.
Therefore, if we are serious about
securing our planet’s future against
ill-effects of climate change caused by
carbon and other pernicious gases, we
need to seriously put in place systems
to replace our over dependence on
conventional fossil fuel with that of Low
Carbon technologies. In the present
scenario, wind energy is techno-
economically viable and efficient
alternative, which generates power with
zero emission of toxic gasses.
India’s Wind Power Scenario
As of now, the renewable energy
accounts for around 13 per cent of
total installed capacity, with the largest
share from wind energy which stands
at around 70 per cent. There are two
forces that will drive the growth of
wind energy in India. One is the rising
energy demand in India and the other is
obligations on India’s part to encourage
clean development. There are abundant
wind resources available in India; there
is institution like Centre for Wind
Energy Technology (C-WET) which
does regular assessment of wind
resources. India also has cost advantage
attributed to available indigenous wind
technology. However, the insufficient
grid infrastructure, unattractive incentive
policies and absence of an integrated
policy framework deter the growth
of the sector. Multitude of regulatory
agencies, add to the confusion. While

November 2013 | Energy Next | 29

 Cover Story RE in India
the policy environment for renewable
energy in India has been improving in
recent years, the wind industry is facing
challenges in the aftermath of the
sudden reduction in tax incentives. Wind
Power is a mature and scalable clean
energy technology and India holds a
domestic advantage in it. Established
and proven wind turbine technology
in India led to huge investments in the
sector. India is emerging as a major
wind turbine-manufacturing hub today.
Over 15 existing manufacturers have
a consolidated annual production
capacity of around 10,000 MW. Indian
manufacturers are engaging in the
global market by taking advantage of
lower manufacturing costs in India.
Indian companies now export
domestically manufactured wind
turbines and blades to Australia, Brazil,
Europe, USA and a few other countries.
Many of the older low-capacity
(< 500 kW) wind turbines installed more
than 10 to 12 years ago occupy some
of the best wind sites in India. These
turbines need to be replaced with more
efficient, larger capacity machines for
generating more power from such sites.
A study on re-powering potential
conducted by World Institute of
Sustainable Energy (WISE) for the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE) estimated India’s current
re-powering potential at approximately
2,760 MW. Due to lack of policy
guidelines and incentives, states are
not willing to re-power the old wind
machines, as concerns are raised on a
number of subjects including disposal of
old machines, fragmented land
ownership in existing wind farms, clarity
on the feed-in tariff offered to newly
re-powered projects and constrained
evacuation of the extra power
generated.
Climate Change Mitigation
For India, climate change and energy
security concerns have come together
30 | Energy Next | November 2013
There has to be attractive
incentive policies and an
integrated policy framework
in place to encourage
investment in the sector
in a way that draws increasing attention
to its energy policy. Wind energy
technology helps prevent the adverse
effects of climate change as well as
boosting the low carbon economy in
the nation. Established and proven wind
turbine technology in India has led to
huge investments in the sector.
Increased domestic demand and
expansion of the in–house
manufacturing capacity of the Indian
wind industry has resulted in
attracting many new manufacturers into
the fray. India provides cheap labour and
lower manufacturing costs, and WTG
Manufacturers are taking advantage of it.
With increased wind power penetration
into the grid, WTGs will have to address
issues related to grid stability and power
quality in the near future.
Historically, the Indian wind energy
sector has met and occasionally
exceeded its allocated target. However,
the modest pace of utilisation of the
country’s wind power manufacturing
and resource potential in the recent
times could be attributed to several
factors which include inadequate grid
infrastructure, land acquisition, high rate
of interest, etc. There is need to create
an adequate grid and transmission
infrastructure across the states with
significant wind potential so that the
state distribution utilities are able to
evacuate ever-increasing amount of
wind power.
There has to be attractive incentive
policies and an integrated policy
framework in place to encourage
investment in the sector. Land
clearance for wind power
installation and land conversion issues
are very time taking and need to be
made smooth. Then there are
inordinately high borrowing costs in
India, as a significant majority of wind
power projects are conceived with a
70:30 debt-equity ratio as a project
financing method. The high interest
rates make for some very expensive
debt under tough macroeconomic
conditions.
The 12th Plan envisions installing 100
GW of new capacity of which 30 GW
is projected to come from renewable
energy sources, of which wind would
account for 15 GW. The country is
seeing about 3 GW in annual
installations under the 12th Plan
target. With right policies in place and
proper incentive schemes, there is no
doubt that the target could not
be met.
The author is MD & CEO,
Envarrior Consulting Services
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
 event SIEW 2013

Singapore’s increasing
presence in renewables
As the country is making strides in meeting energy requirement
by garnering renewable sources, leaders, policy-makers and
professionals attended the Singapore International Energy Week
(SIEW) 2013 in big numbers

I
naugurating the SIEW 2013 S Iswaran,
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office
and Second Minister for Home Affairs
and Trade and Industry, Singapore, said
that smart grid applications and energy
management systems have acquired
global recognition. Consumers are able
to control energy consumption in an
automated and cost-effective manner
due to the progress that is being made
in the technology sector. The increase in
the usage of renewable energy brought
about the change in the way energy was
consumed, harnessed and distributed.

Meanwhile, the International Energy

Agency (IEA) predicted that the
renewable energy sector accounted
for at least a fifth of the energy, which
was produced all over the world. Due
to the decline in the cost, improvement
in technology, IEA predicted that the
renewable energy sector would
contribute 47 per cent in power
generation across the world during
2010 and 2035.
Iswaran said that currently Singapore
was investing in solar research and
development as solar energy was
feasible source of renewable energy.
Energy Market Authority developed
systems like solar forecasting
competencies and undertake research
to understand alternate sources could
be accommodated without disrupting
the grid stability. The government is
taking all possible steps to provide all
Le Tuan Phong, Ministry Of Industry And Trade, speaks at the function as other participants look on
kinds of assistance to the end-
consumers in Singapore so that they
can make the right decision and
increase their consumption of energy.
In order to recognise the contribution
of the individuals and businesses in the
field of developing the energy
sector, for the first time Singapore
Energy Award would be given.
The first recipient of the award in
the individual category is Quek Poh
Huat, a renowned industry captain
and the current Senior Adviser of
Singapore Power. He played a pivotal
role in developing local power sector
manpower capabilities, especially
as the Chairman of the industry-led
Power Sector Manpower Taskforce.
The “Organisation” Award has gone to
Senoko Energy, an accomplished name in
Singapore’s power sector. It was the first
power generation company in Singapore
to give dedicated scholarships to
graduates from our local Institutes of
Technical Education (ITE) and
Polytechnics, who were interested in
making a mark in the power sector.
Another Special Mention Award was
given to Energy Carta.
The MOUs will lay down formal
frameworks for exchange of information
and experiences between Singapore and
the two countries in the sphere of energy
efficiency and conservation, regulation of
electricity, renewable energy and
liquefied natural gas (LNG).

November 2013 | Energy Next | 31

 Offbeat Solar
Mahanayak’s green mission
Actor of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan’s pledge to light up
rural households with solar is sure to inspire many others in
the country to follow suit, finds Sapna Gopal
Amitabh Bachchan announces the Rural Electrification Project along with Parag Shukal, founder of
Urja Foundation, in Mumbai recently
T
ill recently, it was promoted and
promulgated by policy makers,
key organisations and who’s who
of the industry. But now, the
renewable energy sector seems to have
found takers in Bollywood. One of the
most recent entrants being actor
Amitabh Bachchan, who on his 71st
birthday announced the move to light
up rural homes in the country.
The step is a joint initiative of the Urja
Foundation and Dr Harivansh Rai
Bachchan Foundation. The aim, as
described by Parag Shukal, Founder,
Urja Foundation, is to “focus on
implementing sustainable solutions
in rural areas starting with providing
the basic necessity of light”. It is also
to “create an awareness and engage
people at grass-roots in the field of
renewable energy,” he states.
Elaborating on the initiative, Shukal adds,
“We feel that rural development is an
important element to achieve
32 | Energy Next | November 2013
sustainable growth.”
The announcement of the project by Big
B on his birthday and that too at a press
meet, has provided immense credence
to the cause. Moreover, the
involvement of the foundation named
after the actor’s late father Harivansh Rai
Bachchan, makes it even more worthy
as the participation of the Bollywood’s
stalwart is not merely limited to that of
being a brand ambassador, but includes
being an active participant as well.
According to Shukal, the driving force
behind the cause is to contribute
towards rural development and
empowerment. “Our objective is to
provide affordable and feasible
renewable energy solutions for
sustained and inclusive growth.” In the
first phase of the project, it is estimated
that around 3,000 homes will benefit.
Shukal believes that it will take them
approximately two months to complete
the project all across the country. For
now though, priority has been given to
poor and needy households in the
un-electrified, non grid and remote tribal
hamlets. Also, dark areas have been
given a special preference, he added.
“The involved cost is of the logistics,
installation, the product itself,
monitoring and evaluation to
understand the social- impact of
the project.”
Since the solar lighting solutions will
replace the traditionally used kerosene
lamps in villages which have been
targeted, the carbon emissions will
reduce visibly. “The Co2 offset is 150
kg per year per household, so it will be
450 MT per year for 3,000 homes which
have been targeted in the first phase of
the project.”
Once the first phase is over, the number
of beneficiaries in the second phase is
likely to witness a surge in the project
which has been mapped across India
What has helped matters is the role of
the United Nations Information Centre
(UNIC), which has come on board with
an initiative to provide energy to villages
in India. “Renewable, clean, sustainable
energy is one of the top priorities of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and
that is why this project was a natural fit
for UNIC,” explains Shukal.
For an industry that is finding its bearing,
the support from policy surely helps.
However, Shukal concurs that while
policies are beneficial when it comes to
such projects, he goes on to add that
“as far as our project is concerned, we
are working on our own independent
resource base.”
 Energy & Development
Solar to
the rescue
T
ucked away in the confines of
Majhgawan (Chitrakoot), Madhya
Pradesh, a residential school for
tribal girls was until recently, plagued
by power cuts. For students of the
'Krishna Devi Vanvashi Balika Awasiya
Vidyalaya', no power for almost four
to five hours, mostly during evening,
meant eating into their studying time.
What’s more, relying on the diesel
generator set was becoming an
expensive proposition and an unfeasible
one too.
Solar
However, the power woes became
a thing of the past after a 2kWp solar
PV power plant with five hours battery
back-up was installed at the institute
which is supported by Deendayal
Research Institute (DRI).
Based on total critical load of 1.2kW
and designed by Crux Power, a
Bhubaneshwar based EPC company,
it helps in running 17 fans, 32 CFL
bulbs, three television sets and two
computers. The project, which has
been operational since February 22,
2013, has been given a subsidy of `
1,20,714 by the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE). As for the
remaining cost, it is being managed
by `Sewa International‘ through an
overseas donation. The girls surely
have solar power to be thankful for,
since it has not only offered them
the much needed respite from the
drudgery of erratic power supply, but
also helped them focus better on
their studies.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 33
 Energy Efficiency Office Automation
Growth of office equipments
market from 2012 to 2014
6.77 6.99
3%
Desktops
Save At Work
T
here is a new way computing
war on the anvil. Not to improve
processing efficiency of your
laptop or computer or a photo-copier
but to ensure better performance
while consuming less power. The
move would have huge implications in
coming years with office automation
equipment witnessing phenomenal
growth.
Learning from its success in electronic
appliances, the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency has announced the new
energy labelling requisites for single
phase-office equipments such as
printers, scanners, copiers, fax
34 | Energy Next | November 2013
] 15.22
5.12
4.4
16%
notebooks
machines and multi-function devices,
operating at the standard voltage
and frequency range specified by the
relevant Indian Standards and the
Indian Electricity Rules 1956. The rules
provides for safety of the persons and
property from the use of the
equipment.
Back by law, the new regime
entails new competition among these
equipment manufacturers to make
energy consumption a new
selling point as happening in
electronic household appliances. Dr.
Sandeep Garg, currently working as
a programme specialist with United
21.47
41%
smart
phones
Source MAIT-IMRB and BEE.
Nation Development Programme,
believes that by 2020 in India, the
total sale volume of office
equipments would increase manifold
from 7 million in 2012 to
approximately 22 million and there
would be a Compound Annual Growth
Rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent.
Agreeing, Anwar Shirpurwala,
Executive Director of Manufacturers’
Association for Information
Technology (MAIT) quoted a joint
MAIT-IMRB Annual Industry
Performance Study 2012-13 to say
that growth of computing equipment
has witnessed a phenomenal growth.
 2012-2013 2013-2014 % Growth Total Sales (In millions)

102%

1.57 1.82 22%

3.84
1.9 1.08 1.05
0.27 0.19
-30% -3%

laser
dot printer
matrix
tablet pc printer
ink jet
printer

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency would have star energy

labelling for products like computer, laptops, printers and
copiers to help make more informed buying decisions.
Richa Kapoor speaks to the experts about the impact of the new
norms and the market transformation that will take place by 2016

During the period of April 2012 and
March 2013, the total PC sales
(combining desktop computers,
notebooks and netbooks) were at
11.31million (113.1 lakh) units, thereby
witnessing a growth of five per cent
over the last fiscal. The period also saw
65 per cent increase in dissemination
of internet in 22 cities of which 35 per
cent was among households.
Meanwhile in the financial year
2013-14, it is likely that the PC sales
will be at least 12.11 million (121.1
lakh) units , which indicates a surge
of eight per cent, he added. For the
second consecutive year, tablets have
taken the PC market by storm and
there is an emphatic growth.
Power Saving Mode
The projection is much higher than
many manufacturing sectors and the
saving in power in office automation
would yield big results.
BEE estimates that office equipments
would consume at least 800 MU by
2020 and the calculation was based on
the sales forecast for copiers, printers,
fax machines, scanners and
multi-function devices for office
automation and on the basis of the data
collected from the manufacturers.
The testing for the office
equipments takes place in
the ‘standby mode’ as there is
least consumption of power
in such mode as compared
to ‘ready mode power,’ ‘sleep
mode power’, and ‘off mode
power’
The labelling mechanism is based
on presumption that these devices
would be in standby mode for at least
14 hours a day and the assumption is

November 2013 | Energy Next | 35

 Energy Efficiency Office Automation

On Mode (operational modes)

made that they would be operational
for at least 10 office hours (active and
ready state).

The BEE says the labelling of the

equipments will take place in
accordance with the Voluntary
Labelling Program of the Energy Star.
This Standard has been prepared on the
basis of Energy Star specification for
Imaging equipment developed by US
Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
In order to meet the parameters laid
down by the BEE to get the
endorsement label, it is imperative
that the office equipments adopt the
‘standby mode’ power consumption
norm of 1 Watt.
The testing for the office equipments
takes place in the ‘standby mode’ as
there is least consumption of power
in such mode as compared to ‘ready
mode power,’ ‘sleep mode power’,
and ‘off mode power.’
According to the 16th schedule of the
BEE, the “Standby” Mode usually
corresponds to Off Mode, but may also
correspond to Ready State or Sleep
Mode. Under the schedule introduced
by the BEE, the standby power mode will
be one which is the least among Ready,
Sleep, Auto-off and Off-state.
BEE has defined various
operational modes
Adhering to new labelling norm
would mean substantial saving in
power when the person is not
working. If the calculation of energy
is done in MW, then on the execution
of the voluntary labelling scheme for
the office automation products,
capacity addition of at least 8,35MW
can be accomplished. The new
energy efficiency regime when in
place for office equipments by
following the limit of one watt would
save 4,000 MU.
Active State The power state in which a product is connected to a
power source and is actively producing output, as well as performing
any of its other primary functions.
Ready State The power state, in which a product is not producing
output, has reached operating conditions, has not yet entered into
any lower-power Modes, and can enter Active State with minimal delay.
All product features can be enabled in this state, and the product is able
to return to Active State by responding to any potential inputs, including
external electrical stimulus (e.g., network stimulus, fax call, or remote
control) and direct physical intervention (e.g., activating a physical
switch or button).
Off Mode The power state that the product enters when it has been
manually or automatically switched off but is still plugged in and
connected to the mains.
This mode exits when stimulated by an input, such as a manual power
switch or clock timer to bring the unit into Ready State. When this state
is resultant from a manual intervention by a user, it is often referred to
as Manual Off, and when it is resultant from an automatic or
predetermined stimuli (e.g., a delay time or clock), it is often referred
to as Auto-off.
Sleep Mode A reduced power state that a product enters either
automatically after a period of inactivity (i.e., Default Delay Time), in
response to user manual action (e.g., at a user-set time of day, in
response to a user activation of a physical switch or button), or
in response to external electrical stimulus (e.g., network stimulus,
fax call, remote control).
Sleep Mode permits operation of all product features considered
Primary. Function adders, albeit with a possible delay to transition into
Active State.
Standby The lowest power consumption state which cannot be
switched off (influenced) by the user and that may persist for an
indefinite time when the product is connected to the main electricity
supply and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Standby is the product’s minimum power state.
The BEE’s labelling mechanism gives the results only in the stand
by mode.
Source: BEE

36 | Energy Next | November 2013

>> Sale of office equipment
will grow at rate of 15% to
reach 22 Mn by 2020
>> These appliances would
consume 800 MU by 2020
>> The BEE labelling would
help users to choose elec-
tronic goods that consume
less power
There is 65 per cent
dissemination of internet in
22 cities while 35 per cent
was among households.
Tablets have taken the PC
market by storm and there is
an emphatic growth
Willing To Comply
In order to encourage voluntary
compliance, Saurabh Diddi, energy
economist at BEE said, the bureau
has kept the labelling fee as relatively
economical. Also some time period
would be given to manufacturers to
comply with the new norms.
Diddi informed that Refundable
security deposit payable for
registration of every company/firm
for BEE Standard & Labeling program
is ` 1,00,000 and ` 25000 for SSI
industries, provided they upload their
duly valid SSI certificate on BEE’s
e-filling portal. Registration fee
payable on each application for
authority to affix labels is ` 1000.
The BEE’s latest initiative has received
positive response from the
manufacturers for the new labelling
norms to be applicable for notebook/
laptop computers, which are either
imported, or sold in India for
household and similar use, from 2011.
Princy Bhatnagar, Vice President and
Head - Consumer Computing, HCL
Infosystems Ltd hailed the move of
the BEE of providing star rating to
computer appliances as it would help
to drastically save energy as well as
the reduce the monetary burden on
the consumer.
He said that the Energy Efficiency
norms are being followed by large
companies in the organised sector.
HCL Infosystems professes and has
been following energy efficiency
norms since a long time now and
have been the pioneers of green
computing in India, he added.
Bhatnagar, however, emphasised on
the need to create awareness among
the consumers about the star ratings
November 2013 | Energy Next | 37
 Energy Efficiency Office Automation
in computer appliances in wake of
the growing market.
Though BEE’s initiative to “go green,”
with regards to office automation and
other computer alliances is a stepping
stone, there is need to create
awareness to accomplish the goal.
Director General of the BEE, Ajay
Mathur sounded optimistic about the
labelling of laptops, and office
equipments and said a large scale
38 | Energy Next | November 2013
change has come about in energy
conservation after the introduction of
the endorsement labelling in laptops,
and notepads.
However, Mathur added that more
needs to be done to ensure that the
information about energy efficient
computer appliances reaches the
consumers as the set parameters of
the BEE are not mentioned in the
catalogue of the manufacturer. This is
This is just a start. In order to
keep pace with the changing
technology, BEE will have the
right to make amendments
in the specification after
being discussed with the
stake holders to improve
efficiency. The manufacturers
should not assume that the
guidelines issued by the
BEE for the products are for
the life time and would be
changed as and when the
bureau thinks it is necessary
just a start. In order to keep pace with
the changing technology,
BEE will have the right to make
amendments in the specification
after being discussed with the stake
holders to improve efficiency. The
manufacturers should not assume
that the guidelines issued by the BEE
for the products are for the life time
and would be changed as and when
the bureau thinks it is necessary.
The desired result of the new
parameters set by the BEE would
benefit both for manufacturers and
the consumer. The manufacturers
would make energy efficiency a
selling point and consumers will be
able to use appliances more by
consuming same amount of energy.
But, the big question that remains
to be answered is whether it would
make an impact in a market where
huge amount of the office
equipment sold is in the grey
market and the BEE norms are not
for equipment but for assembled final
product.
 In Conversation Dr Ajay Mathur
People willing to pay more for
Energy Efficiency
Q
Energy efficiency is the key
for energy security. How has
India fared as far as bringing
energy efficiency in its core
industrial sectors is concerned?
A. During the first ten years of this
century, that is from 2000 to 2010, the
energy intensity of India reduced by
something like 25 per cent. More than
half of it is due to the energy
efficiency stream, the other is due to a
move from the manufacturers, services
sector and substitution of coal to gas.
The first thing is that there is a long
term secular trend of an increase
in energy efficiency in the Indian
economy largely driven by a high
energy price. What this means is that
if you do the numbers, then
annually, an investment of about
` 40,000 to 50, 000 crore is made
in energy efficiency.
Director Generalof
the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE),
Dr Ajay Mathur
speaks to
Energy Next about
the surge in energy
efficiency in India,
the steps taken by
the government to
increase investment
in the sector and
the introduction
of the endorsement
labelling for
computer appliances.
Excerpts from the
interview...
When you buy a three, four or five
star air conditioner instead of a one
star air conditioner, you are
paying more. So, an additional
` 7,000 or 8,000 crore comes
because people buy three, four or five
star air conditioner instead of a one
star air conditioner. Similarly, you can
walk through a number of
interventions which show that the
Indian consumer, whether it is a
household or an industry, is investing
more in energy efficiency.
As far the industry is concerned,
across all industries, we are seeing
a decline in the energy intensity. If
you look at cement, the world’s most
November 2013 | Energy Next | 39
 In Conversation Dr Ajay Mathur

If you look at cement, the

world’s most energy efficient
cement plants are in India.
Same is the story with
fertiliser, refinery, pulp and
paper industry

energy efficient cement plants are in

India. Same is the story with
fertiliser, refinery, pulp and paper.
There are also inefficient plants, there
are plants which use two times, three
times, four times as much of energy
to produce the same kind of paper or
cement. We do have a policy problem
which is that of broad bandwidth. You
have the most efficient and you have
those which are less efficient. But
generally speaking in the
industrial sector, we are seeing a
decline of at least 2 to 3 per cent in
the energy intensity every year.

Q. Recently, the BEE introduced the

labelling of electronic appliances.
What according to you has been the
impact on the industry? Has it really
helped in saving energy? More
specifically, what about office
automation?

A. The labelling of office automation

particularly on lap tops and other
office equipments has been introduced
relatively recently and therefore it is too
early to say what kind of impact it will
have. What we do have is the baseline
data of how the performance was.
I think in a year or so we can
figure out what the energy saving are.
In general if we compare how the
consumer behaved, we are seeing
that over the first eighteen months,
there is a large scale change in the
percentage of people who buy the
products which are labelled with
energy efficiency. I am reasonably
sure that we will have a similar kind of
trend appearing in office automation
products as well.
Q. In the times to come, do you
think this trend will increase and
more and more people from the
industry as well as the consumers
will buy energy efficient products?
A. Buying an energy efficient product
means that you may have to pay a little
bit more, but in a year or two, you will
recover the savings and after that you
have savings as well. When we buy a
product we buy it due to many reasons,
such as the performance it provides,
we buy it because of the brand reasons

40 | Energy Next | November 2013

and because of the cost.
What the label does is it tells us as
consumer that there is an energy
value and we take it into account
when we are making a decision. That’s
why we see that apart from everything
else, energy labelling influences your
decision and my decision while
making the purchase.
Q. Apart from the industry, has
the awareness among consumers
increased? Also, are they willing to
make this kind of investment? What
kind of impact do you think this
move of the BEE would have?
A. It’s too early as we do not have
the data, but I would expect that.
Obviously, we would need to build
awareness and we need to make
sure that the consumer understands
the benefit which they are getting.
The labels and awareness together
will lead to greater consumer and
industry acceptance. The issue of
creating an awareness is extremely
important. In the case of lap tops and
electronics, it is either the household
or it is the IT manager in a company.
One of the places where we have
not been good is that this message
reaches the IT manager. That is one
part and the second part is that this
information has not yet percolated
into the catalogue provided by the
manufacturers of office automation.
This is something we are trying to do
to make sure that the person who is
buying knows that is something he
should look for.
Q. India is among the few countries to
introduce PAT. What is the response
of the industry to PAT? How
efficiently is the system working?
A. First of all, Perform, Achieve and
Trade (PAT) scheme is about energy
efficiency. Around 478 industries in
particular have a target of how much
they have to reduce their specific
energy consumption; the amount of
energy used per ton of cement, per
ton of fertiliser, per ton of paper and
so on. If the savings are more than the
target, then the excess savings is given
to them as energy saving certificate
and they can be sold to each other so
that if someone is not able to meet
their target, they are able to buy the
certificate to show compliance.
Also, this is an energy efficiency
market and secondly, it is within these
478 consumers. Since it is not related
to the carbon market and the buyers
are not international carbon buyers,
therefore what has happened in the
carbon market has no impact in the
PAT market. As far as how it is doing,
the performance that they had in the
year 2009-2010 would be compared
with the performance they have in
the year 2014-2015. So, it is still a
little bit in the future.
Various companies have sent us what
they are doing. More than 2,000
specific interventions, which these
companies have planned and that is
what we know about, it implies an
investment of more than ` 30, 000
crores which these companies will be
making in order to meet their target.
Our feeling right now is that the
overall phasing that has to be
achieved would result in a saving of
6.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent.
Q. What do you have to say about
the Indo-French collaboration in the
field of developing energy efficient
clusters in Gujarat?
A. Energy efficiency is not one of the
things. I can go and buy a more
efficient air conditioner and tomorrow
I might get a better one. The company
has to invest in new models and
testing so that you can come up
Buying an energy efficient
product means that you may
have to pay a little bit more,
but in a year or two, you will
recover the high cost and after
that you have savings as well
with a better product. If you are a
large multinational company making
air conditioners, then it is relatively
easy. However, it is slightly difficult
for small and medium enterprises to
undertake such activities. The goal is
to create an eco system where these
facilities are available for the SMEs in
the dying industry of Surat and the
ceramic industry in Morbi to be able
to test out new products, to be able
to see processes and see how they
can make them more efficient.
The best example of this which
occurs today in India is in the pump
clusters in Coimbatore. There, the
pump industry got together,
purchased land and built a building.
The government of India put in some
money for testing machines and they
trained people on computer aided
designs and manufacture. Now, these
pump manufacturers come to them
and tell them about the kind of pump
with specifications and ask them to
design it for them.
These people design the pump,
manufacture it, test it in the lab and
if it is better, they introduce it. The
point is that even SME pump
manufacturers in Coimbatore are
now part of the eco system in which
innovation is happening all the time.
We would like to see similar
innovation processes taking place in
other clusters.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 41
 Perspective Francois Moisan

Energy efficiency is a
Worldwide Priority
most governments across the world are now adopting
energy-efficient measures. France is no exception either, stresses
Francois Moisan, Executive Director, French Environment and Energy
Management Agency (ADEME). Moisan, who was in New Delhi for the
Indo-French Technological Summit, speaks to energy next on why
France is treating energy efficiency as a priority

Q
Energy efficiency is a
relatively new concept which
has come into the industry.
For a country like France, what does
energy efficiency really mean? How
do you implement energy efficient
measures in a country like France?
A. In a country like France, energy
efficiency is a very important issue, it is
a priority. You know, we have had a
political debate, launched by the
government this year, on what we call
energy transition. The most important
issue, related with this debate were
energy efficiency and renewables, but
energy efficiency is the first issue and
the first objective. Of course, we have
industries where they are supposed to
be the best, but they consume a lot of
energy. So, energy efficiency is a very
important way to prevent price variation.
Apart from industries, households too
consume a lot of energy, in India and in
France. The way to reduce their bill is to
adopt a more efficient way of
consuming energy and that is a priority.
Q. Which are the industries/
sectors that the French government

42 | Energy Next | November 2013

is focusing on, with regards to
energy efficiency and why?
A. There is the consumer sector which
is the industry, but again, historically,
industry offers the best equipment.
Then there are the dwellings too. In
France, we have households living in
odd buildings and these are not very
energy efficient, so we have to
refurbish the buildings and this is
the first priority that emerged in the
national debate. We need to do this
because these buildings will be there
for another 40 to 50 years.
Then, transport is very important
because cars consume a lot of energy
so we have to modernise the fleet
of transport and also develop new
vehicles.
But this is also about the consumer
what we do and the priority right now
is to support companies produce the
best equipment. So, we also require
research and innovation in order
towards building efficient cars. At
the roundtable on energy efficiency
at this meet, for example, one of the
delegates from Saint Gobain
explained that with insulation, we can
make a huge difference by innovation
and have better homes and better
buildings.
The idea is to work not only
towards better energy consumption,
but also to create jobs and activity
because there is employment in these
companies. So, one of our objectives
is to develop green technology
which will help create employment
in the country.
Q. Considering that there are a lot of
old, heritage buildings in the
country, how much of a challenge is
it to implement energy efficiency in
these buildings? What are the steps
that the government is undertaking?
In France, we have
households living in odd
buildings and these are not
very energy efficient, so
we have to refurbish the
buildings and this is the first
priority that emerged in the
national debate
A. It is a huge challenge. Two thirds of
the existing buildings, the ones that
are there in 2013, will still be there in
2050. Also, 70 per cent of the
buildings were constructed before the
building codes were implemented.
What the government needs to do is
to ensure that the owner has better
equipment and there is better
insulation in these buildings. In
France, we have boilers, so we need
to ensure that we have efficient
boilers, effective generators,
insulation and better ventilation too.
Then there are electrical appliances
which consume a lot of energy. So,
the task of the government right now
in buildings is to have the best
performance offered by professionals in
the buildings. Very often, while
refurbishing homes, small companies
do not have all the skills needed to do
the job. So, we have to impart quality
training, have a strong certification
about that and offer a technological
proposition.
The second one is to induce demand
among the owners. Very often, in a
household, people like you and me,
we do not know what are the good
techniques and what is the guide for
a perfect solution. So, we need to
make them aware, so that there is
more information at their disposal.
This is why we have 450 local
information centres which can spread
awareness. So, when you want to
refurbish your house, you could go to
this centre, get some counselling on
what you could do, what you don’t
have to do, with regard to energy.
Most importantly, there is also
financing, because if you invest, you
will have a lower energy bill, but the
reimbursement will be medium term
or long term, it will be 10 to 15 years
to get back the money that you have
invested. And, households, very often,
they do not have money to invest.
Therefore, we need to build a financial
mechanism with the banks, in order
to have the ability to invest. So, this is
the challenge.
Q. The European Union has come
out with new guidelines with regard
to energy efficiency. What kind of
an impact will it have on Europe and
France in particular?
A. At this stage, we can say that the
European Commission has been
pushing with regards to performance
in energy efficiency. In France, we
are in favour of enhancing energy
efficiency. There are several directives
from the European Commission,
one of them was on buildings, but
overall on energy efficiency and we
should comply.
We have set up several mechanisms in
France, we have what we call the white
certificate, just like in India, which has
the PAT programme. But in France, it
is not only the industry, but it is also
an obligation on energy suppliers, who
need to save energy and they have a
responsibility, of making their
consumers energy efficient.
For instance, if I am a consumer, they
help me to change my refrigerator,
they help me to insulate my home
and change my lights to more energy
November 2013 | Energy Next | 43
 Perspective Francois Moisan
Old french buildings opting for energy efficiency
efficient ones. And then, the supplier
gets the certificate. They also have an
obligation of getting a certain amount
of certificates from the government.
Now, it has been more than 7 years
since this scheme was incepted and it
works very well.
This scheme of white certificate is
not confined to France alone, but is
also being implemented in the United
Kingdom and Italy as well. So, in
Europe, we have common objectives,
but each member state could choose
different tools, different measures to
attain their goal.
Q. Of late, money is also being spent
on R&D to promote energy efficiency.
44 | Energy Next | November 2013
Do you feel this will improve the sector
and make?
A. Increasingly more and more
governments are aware that we need
to have better efficiency, new
technologies and also the fact that
the companies of a particular country
develop innovations. This gives us a
competitive edge, it will also create
activity and employment. So in France
for example, there is a very important
fund which enables companies to
develop new products, new
equipment, more innovation and
agencies managing fund, we call that
an investment for the future; it is a fund
of 2.6 Billion Euros, which is dedicated
to energy efficiency and renewable
Increasingly more and
more governments feel
that we need to have better
efficiency, new technologies
and also the fact that we
develop new innovations
energy. For example, more efficient
diesel, cars, trucks, smart grids.
We also invest in the experiment in the
innovation of smart grids. So, these are
commercial investments. Innovation and
experimentation of this equipment. So,
we work with companies, it is not
subsidies, it is the government which
is investing with the private sector.
Because we asked the beneficiaries of
these aids to reimburse. We will not
reimburse if it is not fair to
commercialise, but will do it if it is fair
to commercialise it. If we are aware that
technology is penetrating the market,
then they will have to reimburse.
Q. What kind of collaboration are you
looking for, with India, with regards to
energy efficiency?
A. The first kind of collaboration is the
institutional one, because India has the
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and
we will exchange and see what kind
of practices are there. Regarding small
SMEs for instance, we have
households and we could extend this
to best practices. In innovation, some
amount of information can be
exchanged on the technologies in India.
Also, we may have a lot of innovations
to share.
At this stage, we have an agreement on
energy efficiency with BEE for seven
years, it is not on technology per se,
but in the future we may have a specific
agreement on this.
 Event REtopia 2013
O TERI University took the initiative to create
ne of the most distinct aspects
of ‘REtopia 2013 – Renewable
Energy for Inclusive Growth’,
was the showcasing of various cases,
especially those of people working hard
to make the environment green.
Inaugurating the festival, Chancellor,
TERI University & Director General,
Dr R. K. Pachauri, hailed the
organisations’s flagship programme
of `Lighting a Billion Lives’, which
proved that a clean energy initiative
could bring about a positive change
in the lives of people.
“It is imperative that all possible steps
should be taken to bring about energy
security in the country where the
population is burgeoning,” Pachuri said.
REtopia 2013 also saw the revelation
about the story of an internal
combustion engine powered by
hydrogen, a wind turbine without
blades, a solar based two-wheeler and
an eco-friendly method of converting
waste to energy. The event caught the
eyes of the who’s who of the industry
as people from the global university and
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
(MNRE) attended the event. Students
from different parts of the country
Focus on
energy security
an awareness among the youth as it
organised its annual fest
along with delegates from IREDA, All possible steps
MNRE, BEE, IITs, IEX, NPL, IOCL, Suzlon, should be taken to
TCS, TERI participated in the event
with full vigour. They also discussed
bring about energy
new ideas with top policy makers, security in the country
regulators and financial institutions and where the population
also put across the problems faced by is burgeoning
them with regard to the execution of R K Pachauri
the policies. At ‘RED Challenge’, the
students mooted clean energy
technology business ideas and
participated in the ‘Best out of waste’
competition.
An open platform, “Head to Head” was
also held, wherein stakeholders provided ample job opportunities for
participated. The aim behind organising the youth and they had a promising
such an event was to bring future ahead.”
professionals as well as policy makers
on a single platform and highlight the Dr P C Maithani, Division Head, Ministry
significance of renewable energy and of New and Renewable Energy, lauded
sustainable development in the TERI for the festival as it gave an
present scenario. opportunity to prominent speakers
from leading businesses, academia and
Dr Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, government and financial institutions to
TERI University & Executive Director, discuss at length the issues facing the
TERI, said that the “sustainable sector renewable sector.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 45
 Industry Speak Peeyush Gupta

Maximising Output
Testing of equipment used in renewable energy for precise
prediction of power generation is a relatively new phenomenon
in India. Peeyush Gupta, Director- Sales and Marketing at the
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) speaks to Upendra Singh and
outlines the challenges and the role of testing agencies

Q
It is often said that
renewable energy (RE) is an
infirm power. In that
context, what role can a testing
industry have in maximizing the
actual yield and helping the cause?
A. When we talk of solar energy, the
challenges are quite evident in terms of
how you estimate the yield of a
particular power plant. It is the amount
of solar irradiance falling on the solar
panels and various other factors like the
quality and performance of the solar
photovoltaic (PV) panels, efficiency of
power conversion and storage devices,
etc. which decide the overall efficiency
or the performance ratio of the plant.
So, the first critical factor is the proper
design of the solar plant and proper
selection of components within the
plant.
Next is the ability to meet the energy
demands of the utilities. With either
large megawatt scale power plants
or smaller distributed grid-connected

46 | Energy Next | November 2013


solar plants, one key parameter is
the predictability of energy supplied
to the grid. As the percentage of
renewable energy supply increases
in the total energy mix, the need for
accurate forecasting for the amount
of energy going to be supplied to the
grid at a given period of time
becomes very critical.
The role of testing agencies here is
in terms of identifying the issues and
fundamentals that contribute to the
performance or variability of the yield.
For instance, in case of the design of
a solar plant, there has to be an
estimation of the amount of solar
irradiance at that particular site and
how the cloud cover is
behaving over a certain period of
time. So, some of these data require
extensive research for several months,
while some require software tools
for better estimation. Then there are
parameters like efficiency of various
components, performance
degradation over time, the cell
behaviour in a PV module – all of
these are the areas where testing and
certification agencies can help the
industry immensely.
Q. How do you describe the
importance of safety testing and
certification in the RE sector, and
what difference it can have to the
whole energy output?
A. In solar energy, safety and
performance go hand-in-hand. Let us
look at a PV system installed on the
roof of a house. It has to be ensured
that the safety hazards that exist with
the modules have to be mitigated
in a way that the consumers do not
get a shock when they touch parts
of a module or the module does not
catch fire due to cell overheating,
thereby causing loss of property or
life. So, safety from fire and shock is
critical and stringent measures need
to be put in place. The same holds
good for large solar plants.
The situation here can be quite
catastrophic since many of these can
be remote and inaccessible and a failure
in the plant can significantly impact the
energy supplied to the grid before
remedial action can be taken.
Q. What according to you should be
the preferred solar PV technology in
India-- polycrystalline or thin film?
A. I would say that there are pros and
cons of both the technologies. While
Each type has its own
set of advantages and
disadvantages, and
depending on the usage,
economic considerations, site
conditions, etc. the choice of
modules needs to be made
thin film modules are cheaper to
produce, the efficiency generally is
lesser than polycrystalline. Thin film
modules can be made flexible to open
up a variety of exciting applications,
but results in having handling issues
which results in more breakages.
Polycrystalline modules require a lot
lesser space for a particular yield,
which may be a criterion for rooftop
applications. Thin film modules have
a better temperature coefficient than
polycrystalline and better yield in weak
light / cloudy conditions. Each type
has its own set of advantages and
disadvantages, and I would say that
depending on the usage, economic
considerations, site conditions, etc. the
choice of modules needs to be made.
Q. Do you think that the solar panels
produced by Indian manufacturers
are good enough to compete with
international products?
A. In India, we have tested PV
modules from about 60-70 domestic
manufacturers, primarily
polycrystalline. UL has stringent norms
and standards that are consistent across
the globe and the same applies to
Indian manufacturers as well. The fact
that the Indian modules have passed
these stringent UL tests implies they
are of international quality.
Q. Today, India is the fifth largest
country in installed wind power
November 2013 | Energy Next | 47
 Industry Speak Peeyush Gupta
capacity, however, when we take
into account the actual output, it is
not very encouraging. What role can
a testing agencies play in addressing
that issue?
A. The installed wind power capacity
in India is around 20 GW, accounting
for roughly 9 per cent of country’s
total energy capacity. It was
traditionally a very fragmented
industry with several smaller
players adding up to the installed base.
Many of these wind plants were small
in size; less than 250 kW, which are
now old, ageing and located in prime
locations of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
and Maharashtra. Obviously, they need
upgradation and replacement.
With the Government moving from
Accelerated Depreciation (AD) based
incentive schemes to Generation
Based Incentives (GBI), IPPs will be in-
centivised to replace aging wind farms
with modern, state-of-the art, larger
capacity turbines that provide better
yield. This will also drive green field
wind farms. Testing agencies like UL
add value to these projects through
wind turbine type testing and certifica-
tion, power curve validation, acoustic
48 | Energy Next | November 2013
With the Government
moving from AD based
incentive schemes to GBI,
IPPs will be incentivised to
replace aging wind farms
with modern,
state-of-the art, larger
capacity turbines that
provide better yield
and power quality measurement, energy
yield estimation, testing of turbines
under various climatic conditions and of
components used in turbines. All these
steps are intended to help investors,
designers, IPPs and turbine
manufacturers in making the right
choices in setting up or upgrading wind
farms.
Q. How would you describe the
presence and performance of UL in
India? What are your future plans?
A. Our Global experience in the
renewable energy sector goes back
to over 3 decades when we wrote the
standard for testing PV modules in the
US. To meet the growing needs of the
regulators and manufacturers in India,
we have made significant investments,
especially in building lab capabilities. We
now have a lab in Bangalore approved
by Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE). We also have a large
engineering team that focuses on
testing of modules, balance of systems
(BOS) as well as on-site testing in solar
plants. Over the past year, we have
developed services that cater to the
wind industry and also plan to invest in
other renewable energy technologies.
We believe that renewable energy in
India will undergo a dramatic shift over
the next few years with technology
focusing on products like rooftop
solar systems, solar LEDs, solar
lanterns, rural water pumping systems,
street lighting systems, off shore wind
farms etc. At UL, we are gearing up
through our R&D and testing efforts
to meet these ever growing needs.
We are committed to working with
all stakeholders in the Solar and Wind
Energy value chain to ensure
success of the Indian renewable
energy sector.
 Product Watch Solar Lanterns

Lighting million homes

I
n India, solar lantern is considered
sun energy’s synonym. It is the only >> Ideal for general lighting
reliable source of power during and reading.
evening hours in many parts of rural >> Requires minimal
India and also a replacement for maintenance and provides
up to 10 hours of backup
pollution causing kerosene and other
on highest intensity
biomass sources for lighting purpose.
Solar lanterns were one of the first solar
Solar and up to 16 Hrs on low

appliancesintroduced in the country Lantern intensity.

with the help of government subsidy by Luminous >> Multipurpose device

more than three decades ago. As a with freedom of choice.
result, solar lanterns now have a huge >> Micro-controller based
market and have become the most design with option to fix
sought after lighting alternatives in light intensity as per the
villages. Many companies have come requirement
up with their own versions of solar
lanterns having unique feature. Here is >> Unique mobile charging option, ideal
a comparison on what some of them for rural communities.
offer. >> Solar Lantern also has the option to
charge directly from mains.

>> The portable LED

lantern consists of
30 LEDs with a light
SL - LED – 03 output of 8-10 Lux.
>> Mobile charging option
by Universal >> AC Adaptor – Available >> Has facility of
Solar Energy >> Working Hours: 10-12 charging mobiles.
Solutions Hours >> When charged, can
provide light for 9-10
hours.

>> Consisting of Lantern >> LED - 36 LEDs >> With mobile charged
>> Battery 6V / 4.5 Ah >> Solar Panel - 6V / 3 watts for 40 minutes of
talking time, light
for 7-8 hours will be
provided.
>> Solar Led >> It has 6V/5Wp solar JS 30 MOB >> In-built solar PV
lantern with a module, and battery Panel, and NiMH
by Sunlite Rechargeable battery
hybrid charg- with 6V/4.5 Ah lead
ing option. Sparkler acid which is sealed with a 2-year life span.
>> Constant Deluxe and maintenance free.
brightness in by Kotak >> Sturdy design,
all directions Urja suitable for both urban >> It can also be used as night lamp with
with 42 nos of & rural households. 20+ hours of light.
55 mm super >> Once charged, it can >> One year of manufacturer’s warranty.
bright LED >>The LED’s life is last up to 8 hours. >> Replaces over 30 Kerosene Lanterns
lights. around 50,000 hrs. over its lifespan.

November 2013 | Energy Next | 49

 Global Innovation Energy Storage

With energy
storage gaining
immense credence,
researchers too
are working on
various ways to
promulgate this
concept. Recently,
at MIT, a battery
which is likely
to enable
large-scale
energy storage
was devised.
Sapna Gopal
details on how
it could help the
cause of
renewables…

Spurring
storage
A
new rechargeable flow battery
engineered by researchers at
MIT, doesn’t rely on expensive
membranes to generate and store
electricity. In times to come, it is likely
to enable cheaper, large-scale energy
storage. Explaining how it will work,
William Braff, a graduate student in
mechanical engineering, states: “The
battery we have developed has three
key traits that give it an advantage in
providing low cost energy storage.
The first is that as a flow battery; it
stores its reactants outside the
electrochemical cell itself, which
allows for storage of large quantities
of energy in low-cost tanks. Secondly,
it uses abundant, low-cost reactants,
further reducing the cost of energy
storage. The third important trait of
the battery is that the cell is able to
generate very high power densities.
This ensures that the electrochemical
cell can be as small and low cost as
possible.”
In fact, this palm-sized prototype
generates three times as much power
per square centimeter as other
membraneless systems — a power
density that is an order of magnitude
higher than many lithium-ion
batteries and other commercial and
experimental energy-storage systems.
Elaborating on how it will help, Braff
adds, “One of the biggest hurdles in
the development of low cost flow
batteries for energy storage is that
the electrochemical cell is expensive
to manufacture. Even without the
requirement of a membrane, the cell
accounts for a very significant

50 | Energy Next | November 2013

portion of the total cost of the
system. Increasing the power density
of the system means that for a given
application, a smaller, less expensive
cell can be used, minimising the overall
cost of the system.”
Also, this innovation stores and
releases energy in a device that relies
on a phenomenon called laminar
flow. Laminar flow is a type of fluid
flow in which the liquid moves in
smooth, parallel layers. These layers
serve as an effective barrier between
the two electrodes in the cell. Two
liquids are pumped through a channel,
undergoing electrochemical reactions
between two electrodes to store or
release energy. Under the right
conditions, the solutions stream
through in parallel, with very little
mixing. The flow naturally separates
the liquids, without requiring a costly
membrane. Braff explains that if the
fluid were to move about a thousand
times faster than it currently does in
the cell, laminar flow would be
disrupted by turbulence.
Impact on renewables
With the market demand for energy
storage over the next decade expected
to grow to hundreds of billions of
dollars, assuming that certain critical
cost targets are met, this device could
also help renewable sources of power
such as wind and solar since low-cost
energy storage has the potential to
foster their widespread use.
Cullen Buie, an assistant professor
of mechanical engineering at MIT,
believes that storage is an enabling
technology for renewable energy
technologies such as photovoltaic
panels and wind turbines. “Our group
is still in the early stages of
developing this technology, but if we
can play a role in reducing the cost
of energy storage, the consequences
could be very significant.”
“The nature of the sun and the wind is
By designing a flow battery
without a membrane, the
group was able to remove
two large barriers to
energy storage; cost and
performance. Membranes
are often the most costly
component of a battery and
the most unreliable
that the output of solar and wind plants
can’t be controlled to match demand.
As a result, they can only make up a
small fraction of the power generation
on the grid without disastrous
consequences. Low cost energy
storage could solve this problem by
storing excess energy when it is
available, and then releasing that energy
when it is most needed,” adds Buie.
As of now, it is estimated that the
membraneless flow battery may
produce energy costing as little as $100
per kilowatt-hour. Martin Bazant, a
professor of chemical engineering, MIT,
adds, “The technology we have
developed is still in the early stages, but
based on the performance advantages
we have observed so far and the cost of
existing systems, we think that $100 per
kilowatt hour of storage is reasonable.”
While there is a long way to go,
Bazant is hopeful of this innovation
helping the energy sector. “One of
Photo: Felice Frankel
the real strengths of our new battery
is the extent to which it builds on
existing technologies, many of which
have been around for a long time.
Like any new technology, there are
technical risks involved, but we
believe that the concept is very
feasible. Were it to be successful,
it could play a key role in allowing
renewable energy generation to
continue to advance, and in providing
a cleaner, more robust electrical grid.”
For countries such as India,
grappling with energy storage, this
could be of immense value. Bazant is
of the opinion that if energy storage
were to be deployed on to the
electrical grid in a substantial way,
the peak loads that typically produce
energy shortages could be ‘levelled’,
reducing strain on the grid and
minimising energy shortages.
“Additionally, a little over 12 per cent of
energy produced in India is using
renewable resources, making it the
fifth largest renewable generator in the
world. Low cost energy storage could
help India establish its position as a
leader in clean energy technologies.”
November 2013 | Energy Next | 51
 Global Voice Gustavo Manez
India supports
Efficient Lighting
Phasing out inefficient lighting is one of the most effective and
economically advantageous ways to combat climate change.
with this very intent, the enlighten initiative aims to develop a
co-ordinated global strategy. Project manager Gustavo Manez
tells Sapna Gopal more about the scheme and how a transition to
efficient lighting will help reduce emissions
Q
What was the aim behind
incepting the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP)/Global
Environment Facility (GEF) en.lighten
initiative?
A. The UNEP/GEF en.lighten initiative
was established to accelerate a global
market transformation to
environmentally sustainable lighting
technologies by developing a
co-ordinated global strategy and
providing technical support for the
phase-out of inefficient lighting. This
will lead to a significant reduction of
global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
to mitigate climate change.
Q. What is the scenario in South
Asia, as far as energy efficient lighting
is concerned? Also, how would you
rate India?
A. Lighting accounts for approximately
15 per cent of the total electricity
consumption in South Asia and in India,
but varies in the region, from 21 per
cent in Nepal to 11 per cent in Bhutan.
A recent study led by UNEP and
52 | Energy Next | November 2013
conducted by The Energy and
Resources Institute (TERI) notes that
while 18 per cent of the 2.6 billion
installed lamps in the region are energy
efficient compact fluorescent lamps,
nearly 40 per cent are inefficient
incandescent lamps. This leaves an
opportunity to save 36 per cent or
more of lighting electricity
consumption, which could avoid 43 Mt
of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
India is very active in exploring and
implementing ways to transit rapidly
towards energy efficient lighting. For
example, it has minimum energy
performance standards for compact
fluorescent lamps and voluntary
labelling of performance for linear and
for compact fluorescent lamps.
The transition to efficient lighting in
India could be accelerated with the
complete phase-out of inefficient
incandescent lamps, as is being done
in other BRICS countries like Brazil,
China and South Africa. But it is evident
that the Indian government has taken
important actions and is undoubtedly

Children use LED lighting to study at a home in New Delhi
supportive of the transition to efficient
lighting.
Q. How do you intend to substitute
traditional fuel-based lighting with
modern, efficient alternatives?
A. The UNEP en.lighten initiative assists
countries in accelerating market
transformation, substituting
traditional fuel-based lighting with
efficient alternatives, with an emphasis
on environmentally sound
management. It encourages countries
to address off-grid lighting issues and
to consider how best to phase-out
permanently the use of fuels as a light
source. For example, the en.lighten
initiative provided technical and
methodological support to the
ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) to
facilitate a regional strategy for efficient
lighting, including off-grid lighting,
involving stakeholders from 15
countries in West Africa.
In addition to greenhouse gas emission
reductions, efficient off-grid lighting
technologies and practices deliver direct
benefits to users, such as better cash
The lighting industry has a
strong intent to offer high
efficiency products, such as
lighting emitting diode (LED)
lamps and systems
flow, higher quality illumination,
improved indoor air quality and lower
risk of fires and burns. The initiative
works with governments, the private
sector and civil society to conduct
research, identify and promote best
practices. It also harmonises standards
for performance and quality apart from
advising on environmentally sound
management for off-grid lighting
products.
Q. What are the challenges for the
en.lighten initiative when it comes
to promoting high performance,
efficient technologies in developing
countries? What would you say about
India?
A. The first costs of efficient lighting
products may be higher than the costs
for conventional technologies, but
trends worldwide show that these
differences in costs are decreasing
quickly, at the same time that
performance is increasing steadily.
The governments of many developing
countries realise that investments in
efficient lighting have a very favourable
payback period. So, they are
creating supporting policies to finance
and promote widespread adoption of
high efficacy lamps, high efficiency
luminaires and controls to minimise
wasted lighting energy.
For example, the en.lighten initiative’s
Global Efficient Lighting Partnership
presently includes 50 developing
countries that intend to phase out
inefficient incandescent lamps by the
end of 2016. UNEP offers countries
evidence, tools and methods to create
successful transition strategies.
India has many lighting product
manufacturers who supply a high
percentage of its domestic needs. The
lighting industry in India is evolving
quickly, with a strong intent to offer high
efficiency products, such as lighting
emitting diode (LED) lamps and systems.
Establishing minimum energy
performance standards and
subsequently creating strong
monitoring, verification and
enforcement systems would encourage
manufacturers to supply India with high
performance, efficient products that
would deliver reliably anticipated savings
and benefits.
Q. What is the global policy strategy
adapted to phase-out inefficient and
obsolete lighting products?
A. The UNEP en.lighten initiative, led
by input from countries and experts
worldwide, developed an integrated
policy approach to promote a rapid
transition to energy efficient lighting.
November 2013 | Energy Next | 53
 Global Voice Gustavo Manez
One of the shopkeepers in Delhi uses CFLs to light up his store 
The approach has four elements:
>> Minimum energy performance
standards >> Supporting policies
including financing and
communications >> Environmentally
sound management >> Monitoring,
verification and enforcement
These elements are described in a
series of webinars and detailed in,
“Achieving the Global Transition to
Energy Efficient Lighting Toolkit.” The
webinars, toolkit and modeling tools
for estimating benefits are available on
the “en.lightened learning” website in
four languages.
UNEP encourages countries to develop
national or regional, efficient lighting
strategies thereby establishing
systematic frameworks for action to
undertake the transition to efficient
lighting following the integrated policy
approach.
Q. In February 2013, the UNEP
announced partnership with the
global off-grid lighting association.
How will this help?
A. The Global Off-Grid Lighting
Association (GOGLA) and UNEP
cooperate to focus attention on the
lighting needs of the world’s
off-grid population, which comprises
54 | Energy Next | November 2013
Photo:unep
of a large market with many
exciting opportunities for innovative,
high performance lighting products.
UNEP and GOGLA will also
collaborate to better describe the
off-grid lighting market, introduce
manufacturers to the integrated
policy approach and en.lighten online
resources. Also, they welcome the
private sector’s perspective in
stakeholder workshops and other
events of mutual interest. In
addition, UNEP and GOGLA promote
the development of national and
regional strategies in selected regions
which put in practice the integrated
policy approach.
Q. Consumers in Asia are believed to be
spending between US$9 to 13 billion
annually on fuel-based lighting. Can
this scenario be altered effectively?
A. Yes, efficient lighting technology
trends and product innovations point
to great opportunities for reducing the
use of fuel for illumination applications.
An estimated 470 million consumers
in South Asia are not connected to an
electrical grid. Replacing all the
kerosene, candles and battery-powered
torches with solar LED lanterns would
save these consumers $5.6 to 7.6 billion
annually and avoid 23.3 Mt of carbon
dioxide emissions annually. The United
It is evident that the Indian
government has taken
important actions and is
undoubtedly supportive of the
transition to efficient lighting
Nations Secretary-General’s Sustainable
Energy for All initiative recognises three
objectives, progress towards which will
help establish a stronger market for
efficient off-grid lighting. They include:
universal access to modern energy
services, doubling the rate of energy
efficiency worldwide and doubling the
share of renewable energy.
Q. In what way will the Global
Efficient Lighting Forum slated to take
place in Beijing, China in Spring 2014,
address the need for an accelerated
global phase-in of energy efficient
lighting products?
A. UNEP is convening governments,
private sector, international financial
institutions and key stakeholders for a
dialogue that will provide a unique
opportunity for participants to
exchange best practices, discuss the
current progress and challenges of
switching to more advanced lighting
technologies, examine the benefits of
a transition to higher efficiency lighting
and create a consensus regarding the
technical, policy and financial
measures necessary to accelerate a
worldwide transition.
During the Global Forum, a global plan
of action will be developed to enable
countries to make a quantum leap to
the most energy efficient and
appropriate lighting systems. At the
end of the meeting, participants will
develop a resolution representing an
international consensus for the need
to accelerate the phase-in of efficient
lighting globally, across all sectors.
 Mergers & Acquisitions

Wind energy to sweep India Tata Power

acquires ASW
T ata Power Renewable Energy
Ltd acquired 100 per cent
shareholding in AES Saurashtra
Windfarms Pvt. Ltd. (ASW)
after signing a Share Purchase
agreement (SPA). The company
issued a statement in which it
said that certain conditions have
been laid down with regard to
the acquisition and the concerns
would be looked into in the
upcoming months.

Following the acquisition,

there has been an addition of
8,560 MW in Tata power’s total
generation capacity. The five
prominent states, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu
and Karnataka, which have taken
a lead to endorse wind power
generation in India, witnessed
a wind operational generation
capacity rise to 437 MW. An
A report compiled by Mercom Capital Group states that the wind energy sector increase of WTGs was also
is on a roll after four big transactions. As part of its endeavour to strengthen its witnessed in these provinces.
business, Nagarjuna Agrichem, an Indian agrochemicals maker, sold its wind
power business to another company for ` 30 crore. Tata Power is working towards
accomplishing its mission of
In another acquisition, Goyal MG Gases, an Indian manufacturer and supplier of generating 20 to 25 per cent of
industrial gases, acquired the wind project from real estate giant DLF for ` 29.52 power from clean energy. The
crore ($4.9 million). ASW owns and operates a 39.2
MW wind farm near Dwarka in
Delhi based Sravanthi Group sold DJ Energy and Uttar Urja Power Projects for Jamnagar district of Gujarat,
an undisclosed amount to Continuum Wind Energy, a wind project developer, which became functional from
supported by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners. January 2012. The project has a
Power Purchase Agreement with
A major stake was also acquired by Green Infra, a renewable energy producer,
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. for
in TVS Energy, for an undisclosed amount. After the acquisition, an addition of
the sale of the electricity at the
59.75 MW of wind power from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra was made and it
rate of ` 3.56/kWh.
increased its operating capacity to 377 MW.

Venture Capital Deals

T he biggest venture capital deal
of this quarter was made by
Mainstream Renewable Power, which
developer Renova Energia, while
wind developer Rabbalshede raised
$52 million. In Q2 2013, funding of
raised $ 133 million from Marubeni $3.2 billion took place in 24 deals as
Corporation. Among other deals which compared to $3.7 billion in 28 deals
took place this quarter include the during Q 3, 2013. During this quarter,
investment of $ 621 million made by 59 investors participated in the project
Brazilian utility Cemig in project financing deals.

November 2013 | Energy Next | 55

 Perspective Smart Grid

Delivering
electricity
intelligently!
Smart grid technology is the way forward for a
cost-effective shift to a sustainable energy
future. Srikanth Chandrasekaran explains about
the complexities involved and the factors
enabling its deployment in India

T India’s National Smart Grid

he world’s systems for
electricity delivery have
been steadily growing more
intelligent over decades, and, so, the
contemporary smart grid movement
can be viewed as the next evolutionary
step in a long journey of engineering.
But the leap that is being undertaken in
market places around the world today
should not be understated.
Fundamental concepts and tools for
how utilities and the power industry
serving them have carried out their
business for years are being rethought.
Furthermore, perhaps nowhere in
the world is the smart grid a more
revolutionary initiative than in India.
Not only is the traditional grid being
overhauled, it is also being extended
to an estimated third of the
population that today cannot reliably
access electric power. A plan is in
place, and important progress is being
made. But India’s National Smart Grid
Mission of “Quality Power on
Mission of “Quality Power on
Demand for All by 2027” is a
challenge, which is no less
historic in proportions
Demand for All by 2027” is a
challenge, which is no less historic in
proportions. There are many factors
that will weigh in how fully and how
quickly India realises its ambitious
smart grid vision in broad strokes,
which can be categorised as
complexities, understanding and
mitigating the Costs. One of the
challenges of implementing such a
complex system, of course, is the
expense. How do we afford the cost?
The investment in India is shared
through public-private partnership, so
utilities and the government are
putting equal stakes into the
undertaking. Also, India can promote
local manufacturing to keep the
money that is spent on deployment
cycling within the national economy.
Other opportunities in this area would
be reducing India’s significant losses
end-to-end across the grid.
Building out a more cost-effective
array of generation, which has
far-reaching benefits, are envisioned
for the smart grid globally, but they
are unlikely to all be cost-effectively
realised in any one market in the
immediate term. Markets are
prioritising their smart grid goals for
their particular regional needs. India
can’t afford, for example, to pay
for features and capabilities that its
utilities and business and residential
consumers do not want or need.
Indeed, the India Smart Grid Task Force
(ISGTF) and India Smart Grid Forum
(ISGF) have formulated 14 pilot projects

56 | Energy Next | November 2013

that are intended to address what have
been identified as the most imperative
needs in grid modernisation specific to
this nation.
Therefore, for example, one such issue
is that India’s transmission and
distribution losses are very high. The gap
between peak rate and requirements is
estimated to be anywhere between 10
and 15 per cent, creating the
opportunity to recover a lot of lost
power. Smart grid technologies for
real-time monitoring, measuring and
controlling of power flows across
the grid would not only deliver badly
needed improvements for power quality
but also increase the cost efficiency of
the whole power equation in India.
Another area of prime interest in India
is renewable energy. Boosting reliance
on renewables such as solar and wind
and distributed generation
applications such as micro-grids figure
heavily into India’s smart grid future,
Relying on standards-based
solutions will help India
most cost-effectively pursue
its smart grid goals, by
supporting the cost-efficient
integration of interoperable
and technologies
not only to reduce carbon footprint
but also to bring the amount of power
generated in closer alignment with the
amount of power in demand.
Relying on standards-based solutions
will help India most cost-effectively
pursue its smart grid goals, by
supporting the cost-efficient integration
of interoperable, multi-vendor products
with other applications and technologies
across the grid.
More than 100 active or in-progress
IEEE standards are relevant to the
smart grid, across key technology
areas of India’s pilot projects—
advanced metering infrastructure
(AMI), cyber security, electric vehicles
(EVs), energy management systems
(EMS), micro-grids, power quality,
storage, supervisory control and data
acquisition (SCADA) and
synchrophasors, among them.
The IEEE 1547family of standards, then,
is a key for enabling interconnection
of renewable energy sources and ad-
vanced applications such as
micro-grids. Utilities and the power
industry worldwide have leveraged IEEE
1547 “Standard for Interconnecting
Distributed Resources with Electric
Power Systems” in reliably and securely
integrating diverse distributed power
sources with the grid. That standard
and a host of its published and
in-development “dot” extensions are
intended to inform deployment of
micro-grids and distributed resources
November 2013 | Energy Next | 57
 Perspective Smart Grid
such as solar and wind. Still, even
taking into account such considerations
as relying on standards-based products
and keeping costs in check, however,
else possible, there is no avoiding the
fact that smart grid implementation is
going to be very expensive. But avoiding
grid modernisation in India now could
prove even more costly. Demand is
already outpacing supply and increasing,
and that is true with an estimated third of
the population still going without grid
access. More frequent brownouts,
blackouts and outages are the
ramifications of doing nothing
today—to the harm of India’s
economic health, social wellbeing
and national security.
Respecting and Addressing
the Complexity
The pace of smart grid rollout in India is
impacted, too, by factors related to the
mere complexity of the undertaking.
The smart grid is not just an expensive
challenge; it’s also just a plain hard one.
Consider the fact that, until interest in
grid modernisation coalescedglobally
about five years ago, the world’s
engineers in power systems,
58 | Energy Next | November 2013
communications and information
technology (IT) hardly had reason to
talk with one another–much less a
common language for doing so.
This presented one of the first obstacles
to be overcome in developing IEEE 2030
“Guide for Smart Grid Interoperability
of Energy Technology and Information
Technology Operation with the Electric
Power System (EPS), End-Use
Applications, and Loads,” for example.
When that standards-development
project brought together
communications, IT and power
engineers in unprecedented
cross-disciplinary collaboration in
2009, cultures clashed.
The meaning of the word “network” in
fact was a point of debate. The smart
grid is converting facilities for
unidirectional flow (producer to user)
of power only into substantially
expanded and more robust,
two-way exchanges of integrated
power, communications and control.
That’s a significant transformation,
demanding that historically disparate
engineering communities get on the
same page on a host of concepts such
as reliability profiles, equipment life,
consumer engagement and security
sensitivities.
How does the smart grid
community in India specifically account
for the complexity? Fuller participation
in the global smart grid standards-
development effort is a good place to
start. The aforementioned IEEE 2030
effort, for example, ultimately drew
the contributions of more than 400
professionals from across the global
communications, power and IT
industries in successful and
groundbreaking collaboration. The
fruit of their work was a standard that,
when published in 2011, became the
world’s first system-of-systems
roadmap to define multi-aspect
interoperability across the smart grid.
Also, it is through such efforts that the
world’s utilities, power industry,
regulators and academia share lessons
learned and best practices. In this way,
standards development is an
opportunity for India’s smart grid
stakeholders to cost-effectively tap into
a global pool of expertise and
experience—and avoid instances of
“re-inventing the wheel” as it works to
modernise and expand the grid in its
own country.
The concerns and challenges that the
smart grid presents from a
techno-economic perspective must
not be considered hindrances to
India’s effort but rather, simply, ground
realities. The nation’s smart grid pilot
projects are progressing with an
aggressive pace that all point to the
goal of “Quality Power on Demand for
All by 2027.” Global standards
development offers an opportunity for
India to forge ahead as cost-effectively
and efficiently as possible.
The author is Standards Senior Manager for India,
IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA)
(The views expressed by the author are personal)
 IEX watch Power trading

Energy price on upswing

T
he power trading at the Indian
Energy Exchange (IEX) has
witnessed a surge of about
22 per cent in a month ending in
price at iex firms up
September and spiralled by 52 per
cent on year to year comparison. The
trading reached 2,853 million units
(MUs) as compared to 2,343 MUs in 5.26 September August
August. The trading could have been
higher if around 208 MUs were not
lost due to congestion in the Average Prices
inter-state transmission corridor. 3.88 3.97 (`./kWh)

Price
2.94
Compared to August, the average 3.41 3.54 2.78 3.04
prices in September also firmed up. The 3.12
average market clearing price (MCP) 2.77 2.75 2.81
increased to ` 3.04 per unit from ` 2.06 2.06
per unit, meaning an increase of 48 per
cent. In terms of selling and buying of 1.77 1.77 1.77 1.77 1.77
electricity, Punjab, the southern and
northern states were net buyers whereas North- East North Punjab South South West West MCP
the western, north-eastern and eastern Bid Areas
East (E1,E2) (N1,N2) (S1) (S2) (W1,W2) (W3)
regions were sellers. (A1,A2)

On an overall basis, the prices across

the 12 bid areas increased with the
exception of Punjab where the
average price fell to ` 3.12 per unit from
` 5.26 per unit. The average prices in
the northern region, eastern and
north-eastern region were around
` 2.94, ` 2.75 and ` 2.77 per unit
respectively. The reason was humid
weather conditions in the region.
Volumes
As had been the ongoing trend, the
sale bids at the IEX surpassed the
purchase bids in September. In all, the
trading witnessed sale bids of 4,386
MUs as compared to 3,809 MUs of
purchase bids, indicating an over
supply position at the exchange.
The total traded quantum in Eastern and
Western regions increased significantly,
whereas North and Southern regions
witnessed an increase in the buy and
sell volumes respectively. The quantum
of power traded amounted to 3061 MUs
without accounting for congestion in
the transmission corridor.

On the other hand, for a few days

prices in the southern region were
lower than the north or western regions
primarily because of reduced demand
in the monsoon season and abundant
hydro power generation in the
monsoon season. However, the
average price in South ranged from
` 3.88 per unit to ` 3.97 per unit. First
graphic to come here
Region Buy (MU) Sell (MU) Net
September August September August
North-East 23.98 31.42 30.34 47.51 Sell
East 20.11 16.65 469.65 130.14 Sell
North 1289.21 691.36 946.20 1234.83 Buy
Punjab 103.68 140.16 0 1.23 Buy
West 1057.55 999.44 1081.92 632.79 Sell
South 358.32 393.48 324.76 226.00 Buy

November 2013 | Energy Next | 59

 IREDA Corner Innovative RE Financing

Energising
Sugar Industry
W
ith an aim to promote At a time when there has been a lot of
Bagasse Cogeneration and
Energy Efficiency in sugar
emphasis on renewables and energy
industry, IREDA organized two efficiency, IREDA has been encouraging the
business meets in Pune and Belgaum sugar industry both in the public and
on October 17th and October 19th
respectively. The participants at the
private sectors for Bagasse Cogeneration
meets included representation from and efficient use of power in the industry
government, sugar industry, across the country
consultancy groups, sugar missionary
and equipment suppliers.

In Pune meet, 50 participants from

different organisations were present
which included 35 people
representing 18 sugar units, and 10
officials representing 4 major
equipment manufacturing units.

During the business meet, a detailed

presentation on overall status of
sugar industry and relevance of
Cogen and energy efficiency was
highlighted. The issues related to
implementation of Cogen projects,
especially from getting clearance
from Pollution Control Borad (PCB),
development of transmission lines,
water supply, land clearance, etc.

IREDA officials made detailed

presentation on financing of Cogen An official lights the lamp at a business meet organised by IREDA in Belgaum.

and energy efficiency projects in the

sugar industry indicating the relative
advantage of availing IREDA loans
compared to other banks, especially
from the point of view of interest rate,
repayment period and single window
clearance method. Over the last 25
years, IREDA has sanctioned loans to 63
projects accounting for a total of around
1,000 MW of power generation capacity,
and is by far the major financial body
with highest market share in Cogen
sector. It was also emphasized that
IREDA has offered loans repeatedly
to its customers in expanding this
existing Cogen facility and has funded

60 | Energy Next | November 2013

B V Rao, chief general manager (Technical) at IREDA, addressing the gathering on new business opportunities with the help of the government’s
renewable financial arm.
innovative projects in private and
co-operative sector sugar units
across different states. IREDA has
supported a unique project in Tamil
Nadu to incorporate energy
efficiency in co-operative sugar mills
being implemented by Tamil Nadu
Generation And Distribution
Corporation Ltd (Tangedco) under
unique business model. Several other
states are exploring the possibility
following the same model to support
the co-operative sugar mills for both
Cogen and energy efficiency.
During the Business Meets, it was
spelt-out that the sugar industry is
expanding and as per recent study
by Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE), the potential for
Cogen is estimated to be 7,500 MW.
This includes consideration of various
co-operative sugar mills which are
likely to implement Cogen units
with support from respective state
governments following private
co-operative model.
Impact
During business meets, it was
highlighted that under present
circumstances, the sugar industry
couldn’t survive without Cogen and
IREDA is offering attractive financial
terms to encourage this vital
sector. There will be definite impact on
environment by using most modern
technologies incorporating various new
control equipments and zero-pollution
technology. The byproducts from the
Cogen units will be re-used and then
the last residue can be used as organic
fertilizers in the crop fields.
“Awareness has been created among
sugar industry about Cogen and also
about IREDA’s experience of financing
in the sector. This will help IREDA to
attract more business and create
awareness about energy efficiency and
clean energy,” says BV Rao, Chief
General Manager (Technical), IREDA.
Besides creating new business
opportunity in the sugar sector, the
continuous support of IREDA to the
industry over a long period of time is
likely to create a healthy relationship.
Such business meets are likely to open
up new business avenues for IREDA
and also help the struggling sugar
industry to meet its ends in a
sustainable manner.
“Compared to other forms of
renewable energy, Cogen is more
stable which provides firm power
with high plant load factor (PLF). It
will also be stabilizing the rural grid by
generating clean power in
an efficient manner,”
concludes Rao. .
November 2013 | Energy Next | 61
 RTC Workshop

CEO ROUNDTABLE
C
limate change, coupled with a depletion of fossil fuels, have
compelled policy makers across the globe to make a switch to
renewables in order to meet the future energy needs of mankind.
This entails a higher investment in the sector, which is possible only with
the creation of an enabling environment. Such a scenario also means
that the policy makers get to a common platform with the industry, to
discuss, deliberate and exchange views on what can be done for the
growth of the sector. A closer interaction will surely lead to issues being
resolved and solutions being found. It is with this very intent that Energy
Next is organising its first CEO Roundtable Meet in January 2014. The
meet will bring forth ideas and solutions which are sure to help the
sector a great deal. Watch this space for more.

Workshop on Photovoltaic
T
he National Centre for
Photovoltaic Research and
Education (NCPRE), IIT Bombay,
is organising a three-day CEP
Training Workshop. Titled 'Grid
connected rooftop PV power plants:
From Basics to installation with
hands-on experience', it is scheduled
to be held from November 28 to 30,
2013. The workshop will be conducted
at IIT Bombay and the hands-on
sessions will be held at the 1MW
distributed grid connected rooftop PV
power plant currently under
implementation at IIT Bombay.

Aimed to provide grounding in both

basics of design and engineering as
well as hands-on installation and
testing, it will cover the basics of PV,
inverters and systems, PV and inverter
selection process, basics of plant
electrical and structural
engineering, BoS and monitoring as
well as installation and test practices.
The workshop includes hands-on
sessions on installation and testing of
PV array, inverters, power evacuation
and monitoring systems as well as plant
performance testing. Those keen on
participating can refer to the
programme on http://www.ncpre.iitb.
ac.in/events.php Registration has to
be done online and once the profile is
approved by the faculty, you can send
in the hard copy of the application form
and DD. Registration will be confirmed
only when we receive the DD and
application form.
For details, contact Smita Bhattacharjee,
assistant education program manager,
NCPRE IIT Bombay at 022-25764476 or
mail her on smita98@iitb.ac.in

62 | Energy Next | November 2013

First Ever Trade Magazine on Renewable Energy
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 Events

Nov
Solar Qatar Nov International Dec Solar Energy
18-19 Summit 27-29 Congress on RE 3-4 Southeast Asia
2013 (ICORE) – 2013 2013

T he event will see

participation from
over 200 solar industry
Doha, stakeholders including
Qatar policy makers, project
developers, manufacturers
and researchers to discuss
about the future of solar
power industry in Qatar.
The two-day summit will
cover the latest information
about this developing
market.
T he flagship event of the
Solar Energy Society
of India (SESI) will provide
Bhubaneswar, an ideal opportunity to
Odisha players in solar PV, solar
thermal, wind, biomass,
SHP, products, materials
and systems to display
their capabilities to explore
huge emerging business
opportunities in India and
South Asian countries.
O ne of the topmost
solar conference and
exhibition that aims to bring
Bangkok, policy makers, leading
Thailand solar PV manufacturers,
equipment suppliers and
solar developers from all
over the world to discuss
the latest industrial policies,
solar developments and
advanced technology
solutions within Southeast
Asia.

http://www.solarqatarsummit.com/ http://www.icoreindia.org/ http://seasia.solarenergyevents.com/

Dec Dec Jan

Wind LED International
4-5 Developer 19-21 Expo 2013 16-17 Conference on Non
Congress 2013 Conventional Energy

O ne of the most
recognised events in
Europe for onshore wind
Berlin, energy developers looking
Germany to optimise their portfolio
strategies at various levels
right from planning to
commissioning and PPAs.
The conference will provide
a common platform to
various stakeholders in
the industry for a series of
in-depth panel discussions,
presentations and fireside
talks.
T he annual event, India’s
premier exhibition
meant exclusively for the
New Delhi, LED segment, is dedicated
India to the science, technology
and application of LEDs and
solid-state lighting. The expo
has evolved as a premier
event meant exclusively
for the LED segment and
contributes in defining the
future of this industry in an
increasingly competitive and
fierce market.
O rganised by
JIS College of
Engineering, the two-day
Kalyani, West inaugural event aims to
Bengal, India encourage discussion
through plenary and invited
lectures, oral presentations
of science and technology
focusing on renewable
energy and related
research. The event will
also help the participants
to broaden their academic
network.

http://www.winddevelopercongress.com/ http://www.theledexpo.com/ http://www.iconce.in/

Feb Feb
SolarTech International Conference
10-11 19-21
february 2014

Germany 2014 on Clean and Green Energy

T he two-day conference
will be fully dedicated to
solar technology and project
T he event is an ideal platform
for the people in the Clean
and Green Energy and related
development in Europe. The event areas to share their views and
Berlin, will see participation from solar Singapore experiences. The objective of
Germany industry stakeholders including the event is to promote research
policy makers, project developers, and development activities in the
manufacturers and researchers to sector, by providing a common
discuss about the current issues platform to the researchers,
and chart future roadmap for solar developers, engineers, students,
power development in the region. and practitioners.

www.greenworldconferences.com/ http://www.iccge.org/

64 | Energy Next | November 2013

RNI NO.: APENG/2010/38296 POSTAL REGISTRATION NO.: HD/1153/2011-13

Francois Moisan
sees ee as
energy efficiency: Dr. Ajay Mathur
talks about
world priority save at work ee in India
Pg 42 BEE’s new norms for office automation. Pg 34 Pg 39

VOLUME 4
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Volume 4 Issue 1 November 2013 Hyderabad Your guide to Renewable Energy
Date of Publication: 08/11/2013

energy next

Shining in all shades

While India is now a global leader in renewables, there are challenges that need to be
november 2013

addressed. An in-depth analysis inside

offbeat: amitabh bachchan’s green mission p32

INDUSTRY SPEAK: peeyush gupta p46
global innovation: spurring storage p50