Category

Solar

BOS costs will play an important role in future solar installations

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: March 25, 2019
future solar installations

There has been prolific growth in the adoption of solar PV technology worldwide in the last few years and the trend is set to continue in the future. Solar power is increasingly competing with conventional energy sources, with many countries around the world attaining grid parity, which essentially means levelized cost of electricity (LOCE) from solar PV is less than or equal to the price of power from the electricity grid. This growth can be mainly attributed to significant cost reductions in the segment, including a reduction in the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. With constantly falling price of solar…

Read more
Leave a comment

Top 5 Developments of Indian Solar Industry in 2018

By Sandeep Bhattacharjee
, Published On: December 13, 2018

2018 was a mixed year for the Solar Industry in India. Although the nation achieved 6.6 GW of new solar installations across the country, industry analysts pointed to a deceleration in the pace of growth in the sector. While the government is making all efforts to achieve its ambitious target of 100 GW installed solar capacity by 2022 and is confident of achieving this target. While there is no question on the intent of the government, statistics and figures show otherwise. So what were the top developments in the sector in the year 2018? As we inch closer to the…

Read more
Leave a comment

Half Cut Solar Cell Modules – The next big thing in PV module technology

By Sandeep Bhattacharjee
, Published On: November 5, 2018
solar modules

Solar cell technology has come a long way since the development of the first solar cell in 1888 by Aleksandr Stoletov. While the contribution of Stoletov to PV module technology cannot be denied, his solar cells with efficiencies of less than 1%, could hardly produce enough energy for any meaningful usage. The credit for breakthrough in this area solar cells was achieved by Bell Labs in the year 1954 that produced solar cells with efficiencies of upto 6% and were used for high-tech applications by leading research institutions. Over the next few decades, solar cell and module technology underwent remarkable…

Read more
Leave a comment

Floating Solar Power Plants – A promising technology that needs time to evolve

By Sandeep Bhattacharjee
, Published On: August 18, 2018
floating solar power plant

The Government of India recently announced an ambitious plan to develop 10 GW Gigawatt (GW) of floating solar capacity in the country over the next three years till 2020-21. Soon after, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), India’s central public sector undertaking responsible for implementing renewable energy schemes in the country floated an expression of interest (EoI) from project developers to develop 10 GW of floating solar capacity. The objective of this EOI was to understand the feasibility of developing large scale floating solar PV capacities across the country. While the industry has praised the intent of the government…

Read more
Leave a comment

BIPV to act as a substantial enabler to adoption of solar energy

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: August 17, 2018
solar installations

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building such as the roof, skylights, or facades to generate electricity out of sunlight. In addition to power generation, BIPV retains properties of conventional building materials like insulation, heat absorption and cooling qualities. As solar energy moves into the mainstream, there has been a noticeable shift form perceiving solar as primarily a retrofit option to a building’s energy profile. With majority of new building construction today being designed with sustainable energy footprint in mind, BIPV systems offer an ideal solution. BIPV…

Read more
Leave a comment

Driving Solar Sustainability Requires Pragmatic Approach

By Manaaf Riza
, Published On: July 3, 2018
Off grid Solar Power Packs

Solar, a source which has the potential to generate approx. 748 GW of power, using 3% wasteland in India, has been growing at a phenomenal rate. From a meagre 461 MW in 2011 solar power installations increased to 19,538 MW in Feb 2018, growing more than 40 fold in less than 7 years. With the increase in capacity additions the tariffs were affected by an inverse effect, falling from Rs 15/KWh in 2009 to Rs 2.44 /KWh in 2017, drawing attention of domestic as well as international players to leverage profits from this promising sector. Though the reduction in prices…

Read more
Leave a comment

Understanding solar tracking systems for PV power plants

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: June 29, 2018
Solar module tracking systems

Solar module tracking systems are motorized mechanical racking systems that orient a solar array towards the sun. A tracker optimizes the angle at which panels receive solar radiation thereby maximizing electricity production of a solar plant. The angle at which the sun’s rays meet the surface of the solar panel determines how well the panel can convert the incoming light into electricity. This is known as the “angle of incidence”. The narrower the angle of incidence, the more energy a photovoltaic panel can produce. Solar trackers help to minimize this angle by working to orient panels so that light strikes perpendicular…

Read more
Leave a comment

Evolution of Solar Module Technology over the years

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: September 8, 2017
Solar Module Technology

Solar technology has been around, in some form or the other, for a long time. Although some people consider solar power as a new age technology, scientists have actually been working with solar cells for almost 200 years. The evolution of solar modules for electricity generation has been a slow but worthwhile undertaking. A solar cell (also called photovoltaic cell or photoelectric cell) is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. While  there are several variants of solar cells, the two most common ones are those made of Crystalline…

Read more
Leave a comment

Rooftop Solar promises a green future for India

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: August 23, 2017
Rooftop Solar promises a green future for India

The emergence of renewable technologies is a boon for the future of our planet. Though, the damage done by burning of fossil fuels can’t be reversed, it is however possible, to alter and reduce further impact of green house gases on our environment by adopting green technologies. Several experts cite, that humanity has breached the point of return on climate change, however there is hope that by curtailing our dependence on fossils we can ensure a liveable future for the coming generations. The arduous mission of creating 175 GW of renewable power by 2022, by the government of India, has…

Read more
Leave a comment

A Brief Overview of the Solar Industry in India

By Ashad Mofiz
, Published On: August 23, 2017
solar modules

For decades, India remained a power deficit nation with a demand-supply gap of almost 12%. This trend was largely due to heavy dependence on coal and other non-renewable sources of energy. Fluctuations in domestic production of coal, import price of coal and global economic and political factors always created a challenge for India to effectively bridge its electricity demand and supply gap. The policy makers in India realised that renewables offered a viable solution for the country to meet its high energy needs not just for the present but for the future as well. Potential of both wind and solar…

Read more
Leave a comment