India recently proposed a new strategy of supporting its domestic solar manufacturers by allocating 7.5GW of local content tenders to Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), but analysts have identified a number of limitations.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released a document clarifying the rules for state government offtake of solar park capacity, while the World Bank plans to provide US$100 million for solar park infrastructure.
India may soon review its Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mechanism to give targets more suited to the environment of each state and offer more flexibility, according to energy minister Piyush Goyal.
Imported inverters could even be subject to an extra International GST tax, while an MNRE official told Mercom that there would be a 5% increase in solar project costs.
A lack of clarity around India’s recently enforced Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill has caused a PV tender delay in the state of Gujarat and prompted the nation’s energy storage alliance to write a letter of appeal to the government.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sent a letter to states regarding the spare capacities in existing substations to accommodate the rapid additions of solar capacity.
India is reaching out to its renewables R&D contributors to create a roadmap, Dominion has purchased a solar power system in Virginia, TerraForm Power has an extension to regain compliance with its Nasdaq listing.
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill was enforced on 1 July bringing in a 5% tax on solar PV modules, but there is still uncertainty around taxes on other solar equipment, according to consultancy firm Bridge to India.
Anything from duties to a minimum import price (MIP) on solar imports are being sought by India’s anti-dumping petitioners, but there are concerns around circumvention of an MIP if introduced, according to a person close to the issue.
With stricter quality standards due to be brought in for Indian solar tenders, including inspections for modules, cells and wafers, energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal has warned the industry about failure to keep equipment quality high.
