All eyes are on India after the historic solar bids seen in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, but headline prices won’t solve the more entrenched problems of the sector. PV Tech caught up with Ashish Khanna, executive director and CEO, Tata Power Solar, at the firm’s Noida offices near New Delhi to garner a rational viewpoint from one of the world's pioneering solar manufacturers and India's top solar rooftop EPC player.
Plenty of naysayers have warned about unrealistic bidding and various delays damaging the Indian solar sector, but the head of ACME Solar, one of the largest developers India, approaching 1GW of installed capacity, has a very positive outlook on the industry's future. PV Tech caught up Manoj Kumar Upadhyay, the founder, chairman and managing director of ACME Group at the company offices in Gurgaon, New Delhi, to discuss delayed PPAs, transmission infrastructure, the approaching Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and a unique point of view on India's Ultra Mega solar power parks.
Indian state-owned power equipment manufacturer Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has won an order to build three extra high voltage (EHV) substations in the state of Karnataka to transmit power from a major solar park.
Chile is set to add 1.5GW of new renewable energy capacity in 2017, according to Carlos Finat, the executive director of Chile’s renewable energy association, ACERA.
India is expected to add more than 9GW of solar PV capacity this year, but its long-term renewable energy future requires adding transmission capacity and removing bottlenecks immediately, according to the latest quarterly solar market update from consultancy firm Mercom Capital Group.
Four European countries have signed a joint agreement to establish a roadmap for exchanging electricity from renewable sources between Morocco and Europe.
Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has sought loan assistance of US$1 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), according to energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal.
India’s Ministry of Power has confirmed previously announced plans to waive inter-state transmission charges and losses for both wind and solar projects won through competitive bidding.
Chile has appointed five directors for the Board of its Independent Coordinator of the National Electric System, after its major transmission law upheaval.
