Key highlights of Solar National plan for India (Immediate targets from year 2009-2012)
Solar PV
- 30% of energy from grid estimated as charging inverters. Promotion of solar power for the same.
- Net metering systems to be introduced with ability to provide Feed in tariffs.
- Mandated deployment of solar rooftop or onsite solar PV in govt. and PSU.
- Promotion of rooftop solar installation in commercial buildings with roof area > 500 sq.m
- Promotion of utility scale Solar plants (mostly Solar PV)
- Demonstration projects for solar thermal
- Mandated for existing coal thermal plants to source 5% of generated capacity from Solar
- Promotion of replacement of diesel gensets using Solar PV installations.
- Dedicated solar parks for manufacturing
Solar Water Heating Systems
- Mandatory for hospitals, hotels, guest houses, nursing homes to install water heaters. – by 2012
- Mandatory for residential complexes if plot area > 500 sq.m – by 2012
Solar lighting systems
It seems like the Indian government has some really ambitious plans for solar power. The Union Government has finalised the draft for the National Solar Mission. It aims to make India a global leader in solar energy and envisages an installed solar generation capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020, of 100 GW by 2030 and of 200 GW by 2050. The Mission will encourage the use of solar applications to meet day-time peaking power requirement that is now met through diesel generation. Further expansion of solar lighting systems through market initiatives including micro-financing, in the rural and urban sectors, is expected to provide access to lighting for three million households by 2012.
Read more about this here.
The government intends to make mandatory the use of solar heating systems in all functional buildings under the first phase of the proposed National Solar Mission. To be implemented between 2009 and 2012, the Mission proposes to make it compulsory for all hospitals, guest houses, hotels and nursing homes to install solar water heaters. This will be applicable to residential complexes too if a minimum plot area of 500 square metres is available.
Read more about this here.
In a soon-to-be released study, McKinsey & Co. predict that India is already on its way to becoming one of the world’s least carbon-intensive countries—despite the country’s 7.5 percent economic growth rate.
This study is the second climate accolade for the country within the space of a month. Last week, the World Bank—for the first time—supported India’s stance on international climate change.
Read more about this here.
Google.org has recently announced a list of its PowerMeter partners and Reliance energy is the only partner from India. Google PowerMeter, currently in beta, allows you to see your own electricity usage information (on iGoogle widget) and helps you to improve your efficiency in a variety of ways.
On Tuesday night Google, announced on its blog that it has partnered with a list of eight utilities, as well as meter maker Itron, to provide PowerMeter to their customers. Reliance energy currently offers services in Mumbai and Orissa and distributes power to over5,000 MW to 5 million consumer accounts.
Read more about this here.
India Urban Space Foundation, a non-profit enables interaction between civic agencies (municipal bodies, urban infrastructure authorities, etc.) and private sector companies that are in the business of providing solutions applicable for urban planning, infrastructure development and operations.
They have an interesting event lined up in June-July called “Go Green – It Pays.”
Read more about this
here.
Skyline Solar, the low concentrating startup finally plans to move into commercial production. It plans to use data from its 27-kilowatt pilot project in Silicon Valley to tweak its final design for launching its first commercial product. The Mountain View, Calif.-based startup is developing a solar energy system that uses metal reflectors to concentrate the sunlight onto silicon solar cells for electricity production. Founder Bob MacDonald said he hasn’t settled on how much he would like to raise later this year, but the round is likely to be less than the $24.6 million he raised last year from investors including New Enterprise Associates.
Read more about this here.
India ITis fast emerging as a leader in greening its server rooms. More than 60% of Indian IT shops have completed a retrofit of existing server rooms to increase energy efficiency, or have a pilot project underway, according to a recent study. The phenomenon is similar in Brazil, but IT companies there tend to favor building new server rooms before modifying existing ones. The “Green IT” study, authored by New York’s IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Canada’s Info-Tech Research Group, surveyed more than 1,000 IT companies with 100 to 1,000 employees from 12 countries to understand why such initiatives are undertaken, and how the results translate into cost savings, business value and environmental benefits.
Read more about this here.
Maryland and Connecticut are struggling to come up with statewide budgets while trying to figure out how or whether to fund solar power programs that have run out of money early. Solar incentives could shrink or even go away altogether in states grappling with budget shortfalls. A growing number of states have been surprised by how many people have taken up their offers to help defray the expensive cost of buying and installing a solar power system, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars for a home.
Read more about this here.
The Edison Electric Institute, which represents about 70 percent of U.S. electricity producers, revealed a new industry wish list for climate change legislation this morning. The group voted last week to support national mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below current levels by 2050. Unlike plans put forth by Obama and other groups, EEI’s proposal lacks phased deadlines for the interim four decades, saying only that medium-term targets for the next 10-20 years “should be synchronized with deployment of other technologies.”
Read more about this here.
