Despite being the state with the highest installed solar capacity of about 1.6GW with 529.15 MW being added in the year 2016/17, Tamil Nadu continues to set an example for other states in its bid to increase the uptake of solar. Within the last week, there have been two key announcements that would encourage those in the state to go solar. The state had initially set a target of achieving 3GW of installed solar power by the year 2019, and these latest set of announcements only further establish the commitment of the state government towards encouraging solar in Tamil Nadu.

The first announcement made in the state assembly is that the Tamil Nadu Government has invited bids for a new tender of 1500MW. Lead by the Electricity Minister, Mr. P Thangamani, it was announced that the state plans to increase the installed capacity of the state further by 5GW in a phased manner. For the first phase, 1500MW tender has been issued under the reverse bidding route. According to the policy note issued, Tamil Nadu harnessed more than 1644 million units of solar energy during 2016-17, with an all-time high generation of 1,498 MW achieved on March 27, 2017.

In the other news from Tamil Nadu, the state utility board, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) could be slashing its net metering tariff from Rs 6.63 or Rs 7.23/ kWh to one-third at Rs 2.20/ kWh. This proposal comes on the back of record-breaking low solar tariffs that have been achieved, which makes the current tariffs look obscenely high. A domestic consumer with 'Low Tension' or LT connection today is eligible for a net metering rate of Rs 6.63/kWh while a consumer with 'High Tension' or HT connection receiving Rs 6.91/kWh. In the case of commercial consumers, the rates go up to Rs 7.01 and 7.23 per kWh for LT and HT respectively. With only 91 MW of rooftop capacity so far in the state-approved, it is unclear how this move would help to uptake rooftop solar.

In MYSUN’s view, this proposal if made into a policy could have a negative impact in the push for rooftop solar. Net-Metering has been one of the chief reasons why rooftop solar financially has been so lucrative and slashing the rates will have an impact on the overall return on investment from the project. This decision must be made cautiously as it can have a negative impact and further slow down an already slow-moving deployment.

On the new 1500MW tender, we believe, the recent project auctions of solar in Tamil Nadu have proven to be quite disappointing with bids of the only 117MW received in the 500MW tender in February and just 300MW bid in the 500MW tender that was floated in November last year. It would be interesting to see in the wake of GST just around the corner, and there still a few questions marks looming on the effect of the same on solar, what kind of interest will this tender see. Also worth emphasizing is that the maximum upper tariff limit has been set at Rs 4/kWh for the project and a judicious timeline of 12 months for projects up to 50MW and 24 months for projects above 50MW has been given. With rather relaxed time frames and very reasonable upper tariff limit, at least on paper, this looks like a great opportunity.

Source: 1,2

Robots have been parts of our lives for decades now. If you have been following the narratives of the past year or so, it is widely rumored that robots will eventually replace humans, at least in most production factories. Various assembly lead industries have been using fully or semi-automated machines to improve efficiency and decrease labour costs. With technology advancing rapidly, we come across news reports on daily basis about innovations in the robotics which have the potential to change our lives. But, what about solar robots?

Interestingly, robots, are no more confined within the factories they have entered all spheres of our lives. They’re being used in schools, hospitals, restaurants, defence and many other areas today.

In an age where there is so much focus on energy, scientists all across the globe have started looking for alternatives which could be used to fuel these robots and make them more efficient so that they can work non-stop for longer durations. Robots fitted with solar cells are certainly capturing the imagination and can be the future of robotics due to the low fuel cost. A couple of Solar Robots have already been released in the market and we wanted to share about them:

Solar Robot Name: Tertill

Designed by:  Franklin Robotics.

Purpose: Removes weeds from your garden.

Fuel Source: Runs on solar energy.

Tertill is a Robot manufactured by the Massachusetts-based company, Franklin Robotics. The Robot is capable of patrolling your garden and cutting off the unwanted weeds on daily basis. In short, it replaces your gardener. The company has developed it using the same prototype of its popular robot ‘Roomba’, the vacuum cleaner. Unlike most Robots, instead of using high-tech cameras, Tertill uses simple height sensors to differentiate whether plants are desired or they are unwanted weeds. It leaves the plants which are taller than 1 inch but it chops off those of lesser height. It doesn’t uproot weeds from the ground but cuts them with the help of a small nylon string that spins rapidly to cut the weeds.

To inform Turtill that you want to keep a small plant, you just have to surround it by plant collars which are provided along with it. This lets Turtill know that it is the desired plant. It doesn’t use any chemicals for eliminating the weeds, which helps in maintaining the fertility of the soil as well as does not infect the plants. It is waterproof too and can work even in the cloudy weather. One more interesting thing is that you don’t have to stand by its side when it is working, its performance can be monitored on your smartphone via an app which uses Bluetooth to send information such as the quality of the soil, weather and robot’s activity. Truly a digital garden keeper, powered by solar. You can find more on the Solar Robot Tertill here.

Solar Robot Name: S5s Security Robot

Designed by: SMP Robotics

Purpose: Patrolling and Surveillance

Fuel Source: Solar powered

S5s Security Robot is developed by the SMP robotics company which has made a name for itself in designing security robots. These Robots are being used for surveillance and patrolling the security borders, however, the conventional robots require access to electrical grids, which leads to an added cost. However, this is where the S5s stands out. S5s robot is equipped with solar panels and thus can perform continuous video surveillance even in the areas where grid connectivity is unavailable.

It is capable of independently navigating and can also change its viewing positions. It is equipped with an auto motion tracking PTZ camera with x36 optical zoom which allows the robot to keep track of passageways from a significant distance. S5s features six 360 degree cameras which help it to monitor all directions without a fuss. This robot also has an inbuilt motion sensor that sounds an alarm in case of any movement in its close proximity. It connected to a control room through WiFi from where it receives commands to change positions. The robot can potentially revolutionize the way surveillance is done in the modern times. The fact that it is powered by solar, is a huge bonus too. You can find more on Solar Robot S5s here.

While these are just two solar robots, we look forward to several more of them powered by solar in the future. Make sure you share the article with your friends on social media so they are up to date with the prowess of solar.

China has developed an unmanned solar powered drone which can stay in the air for months, if not years. The aircraft is called Caihong or Rainbow and is developed by China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA). It is China’s first domestically designed solar-powered drone which managed to reach a height of 20,000 feet during its test flight. However, during one of the secret test-runs, it managed to fly up to a height of about 65,000 ft. This drone has a wingspan that is over 40 meters wider as compared to the wingspan of the Boeing 737 passenger aircraft. As a reference, the wingspan of a B737 stands at about 34 meters wide. The aircraft has a cruising speed of about 150 to 200 km/h. Caihong is touted as the world’s second largest unmanned plane trailing behind a NASA model. China now has become the third country - after US and UK - in the world to own a solar-powered drone that is capable of flying at a height of 65,000ft.

In comparison, fuel powered conventional drones have a service ceiling of about 26,000 feet. The reason solar drones are able to beat the conventionally fueled drones here is that solar powered drones do not have a need to be constantly refueled and therefore can fly higher. Caihong will be primarily used for early airborne warning, aerial reconnaissance, disaster monitoring, meteorological observation and communications relay. According to reports, China is likely to sell the design of this drone to other countries as well.

Drones have become a vital part of our lives and are being used for various reasons ranging from defense, security to more commercial uses such as enabling home deliveries. With advancement in technology, their use is expected to rise manifold. Solar powered drones definitely are a future prospect as they serve as an excellent alternative to the conventional drones and save the all-important fuel costs to keep an aircraft airborne. With wonderful examples like the Solar Impulse 2 and now the Caihong, we may not be all that far from seeing a proper passenger jet, powered by solar alone.

 

The government of Goa is set to redraft its solar policy, to give a stronger push to its proposed target of generating 150MW electricity via solar PV installations by 2022. According to data published by MNRE this year, Goa is one of the low performers when it comes to solar installation with just 0.05MW of installed solar capacity. This new policy has proposed several measures to promote investment, competition, efficiency in operation and economy in the field of solar in Goa. Some of the key highlights of the draft of “Solar Energy Policy (Goa)-2017” are listed below:

1. All types of land will now be utilized for setting solar power projects. This also includes agricultural land. There will be no need of converting any private land from one type to the other before setting up a project. This move is likely to appeal to solar companies who are looking to install large solar parks.
2. State Nodal Agency will create a record of non-productive Government lands and make them available for setting solar power plants. For every 1MW project, Developers will be provided with 1.5 hectares of land. These lands will be provided free of cost for a long-term lease of 25 years which can further be extended for 5-10 years.
3. There will be no need for specific permissions from any local body/ PDA/ Municipal Corporations or other Urban Development Bodies or Panchayats for setting up solar plants in existing or new buildings etc.
4. State Government will also promote the development of Solar Power Plants on the Canal tops and Canal banks.
5. The State Nodal Agencies will give full support to eligible consumers to avail any benefits declared by the State or the Central Government in form of incentives and subsidies, though no new subsidies by the Goa Government have been announced.
6. Government Nodal Agency will provide a fair Net-Metering facility to all the eligible consumers within the area of supply of DISCOM.
7. Residential consumers will be encouraged to install rooftop Solar PV over their roofs for generating their own electricity and the surplus generation can be fed back to the grid under the net-metering system. Several other states like Delhi, MP etc are already encouraging residential customers opting for solar to go with Net Metering.
8. For rooftop solar, the minimum capacity shall be equal to or more than 1KWp but not more than 500KWp.
9. The individuals including commercial users are allowed to go for Gross metering up to 10kW or sanctioned load whichever is lower. This facility is provided by very few states. Gross metering will be available to all properties except Government buildings.
10. The Goa State Government has also come up with a unique offering known as Group Net Metering. It is similar to Net Metering system but one or more properties are treated as one and their electricity usage is considered equivalent to one.
11. Developers will be given 50 per cent exemption on stamp duty if they take private or government land on lease for development of solar power projects.
12. Any solar power produced or consumed within the State will be exempted from electricity duty and cess.
13. Solar equipment purchased for installation of solar plants shall be exempted from VAT and Entry tax. A similar move was initiated by the Haryana Government, which exempted solar devices, equipment and parts used in the installation of solar power projects, from VAT, last month.
14. No wheeling charges will be levied on consumers for consuming solar power within the state.
15. For maximum utilization of all available lands and rooftops, the State Government has proposed a unique system. Banking of electricity will be given to the producers of surplus generation. This electricity banking system will work like any other conventional bank where we deposit money and then withdraw it as per requirements, with only difference that, in this bank one will be allowed to store surplus electricity which can later be used as per requirement. This system will solve many problems at one go such as encouraging people to utilize their whole roof for maximum production and doing away from the batteries which anyway lead to an increase in the system cost.
16. Single window clearance will be provided to the developers.
17. The State Government has also proposed a time framework to ensure that developers complete their projects within the stipulated time. They can take 180 and 365 days for setting up rooftop solar and ground mounted projects respectively from the day of their approval; failing which they’ll have to seek fresh approvals.
18. It has proposed to make it mandatory for the High-tension (HT) consumers of the State with a sanctioned load of 100KW or more to generate solar PV power to meet the Solar RPO obligation.
19. All applicants will have to pay Rs. 50/- per KW along with the application to the distributor licensee. For solar power plants equal to or more than, 100KW capacity developers will have to pay Rs. 10,000/- which will be non-refundable.

Last year, Goa’s Power Minister said in the State Legislative Assembly that Goa will not be able to achieve its target of producing 150 MW of solar power by 2021 due to unavailability of flat lands required to set up plants. This statement by State’s Power Minister indicated that Goa would not be significantly contributing towards the 100GW mission of 2022. But a year later, this draft by the Goa Government is a good example of its resilience. Draft’s main objective is to counter the very basic problem of unavailability of flat rooftops and lands by taking note of all the available lands; which are currently not being used - irrespective of their type - and making them available to the developers so that they be used for solar power generation. This draft is definitely a welcome step but it's not all as there is still some time left before it transforms into a policy. Post that it will be all about execution and we have seen more than in one state, that this is where the ball gets dropped. We hope keeping in line with its ‘cool’ image, Goa will be able to add a little bit of sun to the story too, with solar in Goa becoming a popular investment. To keep yourself updated with everything that’s going in the solar sector and get an unbiased idea about rooftop solar PV system visit us on www.itsmysun.com or Dial 0120-4753511. Make sure you are following us on our blog and social media channels, to be the first ones to know when we launch our product sale services of solar in Goa. image source: zastavki.com