NEW DELHI, INDIA: Moser Baer India Ltd is developing a one megawatt solar project in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. It has been has been awarded an EPC contract to this effect by Mahagenco, a Government of Maharashtra power generation company.
The solar power plant was awarded on the basis of a global tender, in which 20 global companies participated. The project will be commissioned in consortium with SunEnergy GMBH, a specialised PV systems company based in Germany. The Chandrapur solar farm is among the largest projects anywhere in the world using amorphous silicon (thin film) photovoltaic technology.
The agreement terms include commissioning of the project by January 2010 and maintenance of the project thereafter.
Ratul Puri, Executive Director, of Moser Baer India, said: “It is a matter of pride for us that Moser Baer is pioneering the setting up of large scale solar farms in India. This project, I am sure, will herald the widespread deployment of such solar farms in the country. What this project, which is being undertaken by a utility company of the Maharashtra government, also underlines the role utility companies can play in adopting large solar PV farms in India.”
Rajiv Arya, the Chief Executive Officer of Moser Baer’s photovoltaic business, said: “This project provides a significant opportunity towards showcasing our EPC and project development capabilities. It is heartening that solar energy is being seen as an affordable source of energy in India and Moser Baer has been instrumental in bringing about this change.”
SunEnergy has more than ten years of experience in commissioning large solar projects.
Photovoltaic industry growth
Higher cost of project financing and lower cost of natural gas, both outgrowths of the current economic setup, have made it tough for the solar industry in recent months. However, the key long term industry variables continue to be strong with countries continuing to implement solar-friendly incentive and feed-in tariff programmes.
Continued demand for clean and renewable energy is expected to drive solar energy costs towards grid parity in the next couple of years. Moreover, the drop in prices for solar power equipment could make solar energy more competitive with burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Currently, less than one per cent of the world’s electricity comes from solar power. While investors are very selective due to the low finance availability, they still see PV as a low-risk asset class.
Being a densely populated region in the sunny tropical belt, the Indian subcontinent has the ideal combination of high solar insolation, a big potential consumer base density and government-led subsidy schemes. Apart from the 50 MW Government of India incentive scheme, the forthcoming National Solar Mission aims to make India a global leader in solar energy and envisages an installed solar generation capacity of 20,000 MW by 2020.
Moser Baer Photovoltaic Ltd (MBPV) and PV Technologies India Ltd (PVTIL), subsidiaries of Moser Baer India Ltd, are in the business of manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules and developing integrated PV systems. They manufacture solar cells and modules by straddling multiple technologies, including crystalline silicon, concentrators and thin films. The companies currently have production lines in crystalline silicon cell manufacturing and thin film in the renewable energy SEZ in Greater Noida in the National Capital Region.
The parent company Moser Baer India Ltd is the leading manufacturer of optical storage media in the world having three state of the art facilities in Noida and Greater Noida.
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