UK student lights up Indian village with solar power

Nearly 100 homes in Uttar Pradeshs Sarvantara village have been electrified, thanks to an initiative by a student from the UKs prestigious Imperial College.

Clementine Chambon, a final year PhD student, has helped connect the homes with a mini eight-kWh solar energy grid via her social enterprise start-up company - Oorja - last month.

The mini solar grid provides around 1,000 people with energy for affordable lighting, phone charging and fans to cool homes.

"We are delighted to see the smiles on the faces of our happy customers, to hear their reports of how electricity is allowing their children to study longer, and their hopes that a computer centre will be opened in the school so that students can learn how to use a computer," said Chambon.

Like most hinterlands in India, majority of the population in Sarvantara are farmers. Chambon reckons her project will help fuel the farmers productivity.

"The renewable energy generated will also power pumps to provide irrigation services to farmers, providing significant cost savings compared to diesel-powered pumps," said Chambon.

Since less than average rainfall has been predicted for this year, the Briton said, the demand for electricity to pump water for irrigation has surged.

"Villagers are particularly keen to sign up to receive energy from our system for affordable irrigation services," she said.

"They are very relieved that an alternative to expensive diesel pumps will be available, especially as the diesel price in India is expected to get much more expensive, following recent deregulation of the market," she added.

Chambon intends to expand her project and fit the 100 households with smart meters to enable remote monitoring of energy generation and consumption in real-time.

"The data will help Oorja to analyse the performance of the system and improve the services they provide," she said.

Oorja was founded in 2015 by Chambon and a colleague, Indian social entrepreneur Amit Saraogi.

The company provides affordable and reliable power to rural communities in India that are currently not connected to the country?s national energy grid network.

According to Imperial College London, the next stage of their project will involve a pilot of a hybrid mini-grid that will generate electricity from solar energy and biomass.

"This could provide a bigger supply of electricity to power small enterprises, such as grain mills, sewing cooperatives and water purification stations in the village," a statement by the college read.

The Oorja team then plan to raise more funding to enable them to roll out dozens more mini-grids to other villages in 2018.

Govt schools could soon have rooftop solar panels

Government schools in Delhi may soon be lit with solar power, as the Aam Aadmi Party-led government is considering a proposal to set up photo-voltaic panels on rooftops of all its school buildings. The move will give momentum to the Delhi government's flagship programme to make the national Capital a solar city. The government, in its Solar Policy, targets to generate 2,000 MW electricity through solar power by 2025. Officials said the proposal to light up Delhi schools with solar energy was ready and would be implemented soon.

"In the initial phase, solar panels will be set up on the rooftops of 25-30 school buildings in the city in the next few months," confirmed a Delhi government official, who refused to be named as the policy is still under wraps. "In this manner, initially the government is eyeing power generation of 20-30 MW solar electricity. After successful implementation of this project, the government will extend it further," the official added.

He further said the government is of the view of that maximum utilisation should be made of school buildings in generating solar power and they should be turned into "green buildings". Explaining why the government was targeting school buildings, the official said such structures were best for solar power as they contain a larger expanse of shadow free area. "Most of the government schools buildings have big flat rooftops and do not have parapet wall, which gives larger expanse of shadow free area giving maximum exposure of solar panels to the sun. This condition is congenial for solar power generation." He clarified that residential buildings had less expanse of shadow free area because of parapet walls, water tanks and other constructions on rooftops. According to Delhi's Solar Policy, deployment of solar panels on government and public institutions is mandatory. The policy says that government or public sector buildings constitute one fourth of the total solar power potential of the city. The Delhi government had last year notified the "Delhi Solar Energy Policy" to rapidly develop decentralised renewable energy sources, especially solar, and reduce its current dependence on unsustainable and centralised fossil fuel energy. It says the city is blessed with almost 300 sunny days and the rooftop space available for solar panels is estimated to be 31 sq km, giving Delhi a solar energy potential of 2,500 MW. The government has also released the list of empanelled companies so that domestic consumers can get solar photo-voltaic panels on their rooftops and avail 30 per cent subsidy offered by the government. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre, which comes under the Department of Power of the Delhi government, is responsible for promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation in the Capital.

EPB launches Solar Share to offer clean, renewable energy

EPB launched Solar Share to make renewable energy more easily accessible to all its customers.

EPB partnered with TVA to establish a solar facility along Holtzclaw Avenue across from Warner Park. The facility's 4,408 solar panels can generate up to 1.3 megawatts of power, which is enough energy to meet the average needs of 130 homes.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee, touted the relationship among EPB, TVA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

"We are seeing today with Solar Share the benefits of [these partnerships]," he said. "Working with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Solar Share gives EPB a new avenue to serve as America’s living laboratory in the development of best practices for using an advanced smart grid to dynamically manage the variability of solar power generation."

Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said Solar Share is about education in Hamilton County. It's a way for students in STEM schools to see this technology in person and see that there is an effort being made for renewable energy in our community, he said. 

"It's important to have these different learning opportunities for our [students]," Coppinger said. "Students in several schools have already been engaged with imagining new ways to put the sun’s energy to work."

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke said Solar Share is aiding in the city's desire for innovation. He said innovation is about finding creative solutions to the problems we face and that Solar Share begins to solve the need for clean and renewable energy.

"Today we are here because EPB has decided to locally source electrical power to people in the community and take them off the coal fire grid," Berke said. "Chattanooga is stronger today because of visionary leaders who realized decades ago the importance of cleaning up our environment."

The new program is open to any EPB customer. The program has three ways a resident can buy into the program.

EPB President and CEO David Wade said Solar Share is a way for customers to utilize EPB's energy expertise and gain access to solar power in a way that meets their needs or budget.

"With decades of experience in constructing and managing our community’s electrical infrastructure, EPB is able to provide customers with worry-free renewable energy solutions," he said. "It’s affordable because you share the cost among all the participants, but you get to fully enjoy the benefits without having to worry about construction, maintenance or liability."

OG&E raises fuel portion of electric bills because of higher prices

Electricity customers of Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. will see higher bills starting this month because of higher natural gas prices and what the utility called grid congestion costs related to wind generation in the region.

The typical residential customer will see an increase of about $9.60 per month from the higher fuel-related costs. The increase will be reflected in the fuel adjustment factor portion of customer bills, which is reported as a long decimal as a rate per kilowatt hour.

Under Oklahoma law, regulated utilities can't profit on fuel and purchased power costs. Those pass-through costs are tracked by the utility and regulators at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and adjusted periodically.

OG&E said because of higher fuel and related costs, the utility had an undercollection amount of $86 million by May. Fuel costs will be reviewed again in the fall.

"We could wait and do it outside of the summer months, but what we'd see is that undercollection would continue to grow and create a much higher bill impact," OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said Thursday. "Doing this now limits that impact to customers."

The latest market report from the Southwest Power Pool showed natural gas prices about a dollar higher than spring 2016. Average natural gas prices were $2.70 per thousand cubic feet in the first part of this year, compared to $1.68 per thousand cubic feet in spring 2016.

Alford said customers benefited from historically low natural gas prices for about 18 months. Summer bills are now returning to levels seen in 2015, he said. OG&E did not provide a breakdown on how much of the fuel adjustment could be attributed to higher fuel costs versus higher grid congestion costs.

Solar Water Heater

Solar water heater is a high utility, low maintenance equipment that uses energy from the sunlight as a fuel to heat water. It consists of a system that is installed on a terrace or open space where it can get maximum exposure to sunlight. This energy from the sun is used to heat water and the hot water is stored in an insulated tank. The solar water heaters does not have any electrical connections and thus does not need to be operated manually. It utilizes the sunlight throughout the day to heat water and stores it in the storage tank. Hot Water from the storage tank can then be used for any desired application.

Advantages:

●Saves electricity bill as it reduces the power used in Geysers.

● Reduction in rate of global warming.

● Higher efficiency on high temperature.

● Negligible scaling of tubes.

● Less space & more economical.

● Long life more than 15 years.

● Maintenance Free.

India plans greener ports with wind and solar power

In a major initiative by the Indian shipping ministry, 12 major ports in the country have started the process of installing roughly 200MW of wind and solar power projects, investing $104.5 million.

The main objective of the renewable energy push is to convert all 12 of its major domestic ports to renewable energy by 2019, making India one of the first countries to utilise renewable energy for most of its port and dock operations.

"These renewable energy projects will help in the reduction of carbon emission and lead to improvements of the environment around the ports," a senior government official told the Economic Times newspaper.

"All our ports are cash-rich... The ports have started the process of setting up renewable energy projects from profits."

In a statement, the ministry stated: "When completed, these renewable energy projects will help in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 136,500 tonnes annually.

"These projects will also help to reduce cost of power purchased by utilisation of renewable energy for power generation, resulting in estimated saving of INR 750 million ($11.1 million) annually, when fully commissioned."

The initial aim is to set up about 200MW of solar and wind energy, with plans to eventually expand to reach 500MW over the coming years.

The starting capacity will include about 45MW of wind power, which will be added by two major ports: Kandla, the largest port by volume, and VO Chidambaranar Port (VOCP).

Kandla Port has already commissioned 6MW capacity out of a target of 20MW, while VOCP has not yet initiated any activity on its 25MW project, but there are further plans in the pipeline, an official explained.

In May, the shipping minister, Nitin Gadkari, said, "Kandla Port has 600 square kilometres of land, which is low cost, and it is economically viable for all ports to invest in solar and wind projects.

"The cost of solar energy per unit has dropped to INR 2.63 per unit and the capital cost of wind energy has dropped too, which will help all ports to cumulatively save INR 6-7 billion ($90-110 million) annually."

What ails India’s solar energy drive?

India is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. As a signatory to the Paris  Agreement, India is committed to investing in climate change mitigation, while addressing poverty, food security and access to healthcare and education.

While the generation from conventional sources showed an annual growth rate of 5 per cent during 2016-17, the output from renewable power increased more than 26 per cent during the same period. The reasons for higher growth are attributed to the declining price of supplying solar power to the grid as well as the price of batteries. This in turn encourages more companies to invest more in the solar sector. Apart from these, various policy inducements offered by the Centre and state governments have translated into lower generation cost.

The tariff for solar power has fallen to a record low due to the government’s solar energy drive aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emission. Five years ago, solar companies in India were producing a kilowatt-hour for Rs 7. Today it is down to Rs 2.44, which is even cheaper than coal. In the past few years, the global price of solar energy has fallen rapidly. As the cost of solar power continues to fall in India, it has a real opportunity to become a world leader in the transition to a clean energy system.

However, the country is faced with two problems, which can dampen the solar energy drive.

Dismal installation of rooftop solar power

India’s installed capacity of diesel generating (DG) sets forms a third of its grid connected capacity. Burning diesel not only emits toxic fumes, but is also expensive way to generate power. As a deterrent, incentives for both capital investment and power generation by solar rooftop have been encouraged. The installation of solar panel on rooftops saves land and improves the environment. Government buildings, educational institutions, hospitals, commercial buildings, residential properties are being encouraged to install rooftop solar systems. Despite favourable policies and net metering guidelines in several states and a subsidy of 30 per cent offered by the nodal ministry, the installation of solar rooftop systems has been dismal in leading metros in the country.

The government has earmarked 40 GW as the rooftop solar target by 2022, but as of December 2016, only over 1 GW worth of installations have taken place. The tardy progress might elude the target of the flagship programme. Lack of familiarity with the process and fear of bureaucratic red tape are the reasons for the slow uptake of solar rooftops in the residential sector. Other reasons are insufficient knowledge among citizens about the financial incentives and return-on-investment, a perception that large upfront capital investment is required, and ineffective implementation of net metering in various states. However, the challenges on the ground are more complex. Developers stress that there is a problem of lack of uniform roofs in the country that doesn't leave enough space to install big panels. The situation calls for concerted efforts by the agencies to build awareness among citizens and motivate developers to realise the goal.

Cheap imports hurt domestic manufacturers

Impressive growth in the solar power sector hasn’t resulted in a commensurate gain for indigenous solar manufacturers. In fact, indiscriminate and cheap imports of solar plants and machineries from China and Malaysia have been hurting Indian manufacturing sector. Some of India's biggest solar equipment makers are facing financial collapse, priced out by Chinese competitors. There are more than 110 registered Indian solar cell and module makers, out of which only a handful expects to survive according to the Bridge to India, a consultancy firm. Indian companies produced an estimated 1.33 GW of modules last year out of the total capacity of 5.29 GW. In the recently held Smart City Conclave, the manufacturers (also panelists) expressed their serious concern about the vulnerability of very high (85 per cent) import dependency of the solar sector and falling solar power tariff.

Pulling out of the Paris accord by USA has created a multi-billion-dollar market for Chinese solar product makers, who are facing an overcapacity at home and steep duties in Europe. Chinese companies have gained the most from that increase, accounting for around 85 per cent of India's solar module demand and earning around $2 billion, according to industry data. The total annual market could jump to more than $10 billion in the next few years going by the Government of India’s capacity targets.

The need of the hour is to revisit the extant solar power policy. A level playing field and an ecosystem should be provided to Indian manufacturers. Arresting the free fall of power tariff is also must for a healthy growth of the solar energy system.