Novogreen

In a country such as ours which lies close to the tropical belt, it is cooling and not heating which will seal the case in favour of solar. However surprisingly most innovation in solar has been in the area of heating solutions. Solar based chilling units need to go mainstream to be able to supply the needs of the this market. We need to find solutions that are relevant to our needs and not go the western way of replicating whatever is easy to make.

Novogreen is committed to bringing innovations in renewable solutions and markets together. So if you are passionate about building solutions using renewable sources please send in your resumes to careers@novogreen.com.

The Indian government has finally approved the national solar mission. Termed as the Jawaharlal Nehru National solar mission this announces a slew of incentives and aggressive measured for promotion of renewables in the country.
Key highlights include

• To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.
• To ramp up capacity of grid-connected solar power generation to 1000 MW within three years – by 2013; an additional 3000 MW by 2017 through the mandatory use of the renewable purchase obligation by utilities backed with a preferential tariff. This capacity can be more than doubled – reaching 10,000MW installed power by 2017 or more, based on the enhanced and enabled international finance and technology transfer. The ambitious target for 2022 of 20,000 MW or more, will be dependent on the ‘learning’ of the first two phases, which if successful, could lead to conditions of grid-competitive solar power. The transition could be appropriately up scaled, based on availability of international finance and technology.
• To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership.
• To promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000 MW by 2017 and 2000 MW by 2022 .
• To achieve 15 million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by 2022.
• To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.

Read the detailed solar mission here.

Three solar companies are going to be setting up shop at Karidi in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, which has earmarked 5,000 acres for the projects, according to a report in the Business Standard.The businesses are expected to invest more than Rs 3,000 crore ($644 million), with Rs 2,000 crore coming from Sunborne Energy Technologies and about Rs 600 crore each coming from AES Solar and Hyderabad-based Lanco Solar.

Read more about this here.

India’s environment minister has urged the prime minister to take on carbon emission reductions under a new global deal without insisting on finance and technology from rich nations, a report said on Monday. The Times of India reported that Jairam Ramesh wrote to Manmohan Singh last week outlining a shift in India’s traditional position in global climate negotiations.

India has said developing countries should not be asked to commit to emissions reductions without finance and technology from rich nations since they are largely to blame for most of mankind’s greenhouse gas pollution to date.

Read more about this here.

In the Indian market the lack of ready availability of information about the solar industry is quite remarkable to say the least. There is no single site which lists information about locally available state level incentive plans. For consumers it is not easy to locate vendors or technology/financial options for adopting solar. Given that solar based power units can help us meet a lot of peak power demands in indian cities it is maybe time for the government to look at providing an easy way to have access to information about the local industry.

For new technology to develop the base has to be ready availability of information.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) today addressed that all power state utilities in the country will have to buy at minimum five percent of their grid purchase from renewable energy sources from 2009-10 onwards and 15 percent by 2020.

In his special address at Green Power 2009, an international conference and exposition on renewable energy, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry at Chennai Pramod Deo, chairperson and chief executive, CERC said that the regulator in undertaking an internal action plan on global climate change.

Read more about this here.

The Indian government has recently completed a blueprint to lower energy consumption in the nine most energy intensive industrial sectors of the country. The plan considered in the National Action Plan on Climate Change has been given final execution and will soon operate the energy imbibed by railways, aluminum, cement, chlor-alkali, pulp and paper, fertilizers and steel industries apart from also covering power generation plants.

The plan will take care of nearly 750 large industrial installations across the nine sectors. Only those plants that utilize above specified levels of energy yearly will be aimed.

Read more about this here.

Green building is going to be a massive market, but it’s not as easy to understand as other markets.

The market is segmented into 5 clearly defined segments

• Construction and Design - If you talk to contractors and architects, they would claim that most energy savings can be accomplished through proper design and construction.
• Building Materials - Building materials comprise bricks, cement, drywall, carpets, furniture, wood flooring, windows, insulation, etc. The idea here is to produce products, like thermal windows, that reduce energy consumption, or cut the energy and natural resources used in manufacturing them.
• Hardware and Software - To reduce energy consumption or the fossil-fuel based materials in a product, you have to start with design. Simulation tools can examine a building’s performance under various environmental conditions as well as gauge the effect of putting the ovens in a kitchen close to lobby air conditioning vents. A few companies in stealth mode are expected to soon unveil design applications for net zero energy homes.
• Appliances - Appliances are otherwise known as HVAC and lights. Lighting has been perhaps the most active market in terms of VC activity and for good reason: They form the last standing vestige of the vaccum tube era.
• Energy Generation - Solar and small wind have been around for a number of years. The next big trend will to make these more unobtrusive. Several CIGS also vendors promise to come out with building-integrated photovoltaics.

Read more about this here.

Key highlights of Solar National plan for India (Immediate targets from year 2009-2012)

Solar PV