Will CoronaVirus Prove To Be The Force Majeure Of 2020 for Indian solar? Updated On Sat, Feb 15th, 2020 by Saurenergy India’s renewable, and especially the solar sector, has had a tough time since 2018. In 2018, it was the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which upended calculations of bid winners, especially those who signed their PPA’s just before the GST came in. If that wasn’t enough, it was followed by the Safeguard Duty, which muddied […] Read more
MSEDCL Subsidy Scam Highlights Attitude To Solar Power in Maharashtra Updated On Mon, Feb 10th, 2020 by Saurenergy Maharashtra’s latest ‘scam’ potentially shows up just why getting discoms on board to promote renewable power is so difficult. A MERC (Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission) appointed committee has filed a report that accuses the state power distribution utility, Mahavitaran or MSEDCL as its English moniker goes, of outright fraud. The report claims that MSEDCL has […] Read more
The Total-Adani Deal- Impact on Indian Solar Sector Updated On Fri, Feb 7th, 2020 by Saurenergy The announcement yesterday of a proposed JV between Total Total SA, the french energy major, and Adani Green Energy, the renewable energy arm of the Adani Group, for $510 million (approx Rs 3600 crores) is, to put it mildly, a surprise. After all, while not dire, the sector today faces multiple pressure points, the latest […] Read more
Safeguard Duty Knots. Azure Power Wins Reprieve from CERC Updated On Wed, Feb 5th, 2020 by Saurenergy Azure Power, which had gone to the central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to get compensation from SECI for two of its bids, due to the imposition of Safeguard Duty (SGD) on 30.07.2018, has found a willing ear at CERC. The two cases here were petition numbers 356/MP/20198, and 51/MP/2019. In an order that mirrors the […] Read more
Could Ørsted Come for Solar And Storage in India? Updated On Tue, Feb 4th, 2020 by Saurenergy Ørsted , formerly DONG ( Denmark Oil and Natural Gas) was a typical energy firm a decade back, primarily making its money from oil, coal, and natural gas. Now, it has been voted the world’s most sustainable firm. How did that happen? The accolade of the world’s most sustainable firm for Ørsted , while a […] Read more
Budget 2020 and Renewables. An Evolving Story Updated On Sun, Feb 2nd, 2020 by Saurenergy In the longest budget speech in history, the Finance Minister , Ms Nirmala Sitharaman managed to find a mention of the renewable sector, especially solar, at the beginning, middle and end, as it turned out. While the mention in the beginning was for the energy needs of farmers and the role of solar power, the […] Read more
Economic Survey 2019-20. Opportunity Ignored? Updated On Fri, Jan 31st, 2020 by Saurenergy The Economic Survey for 2019-20 was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today in parliament. The survey, which is taken as a useful indicator of government intent, though not always ability to take action, is notable for what it talks about, and perhaps worryingly, what it ignores. Thus, in a survey where there seems to […] Read more
The Red Tape Challenge. How RE Producers in India Are Squeezed Updated On Fri, Jan 31st, 2020 by Saurenergy While meeting people within and outside the renewables industry, almost everyone agrees that unlike other sectors, a key part of the work, namely, the actual build up of renewable projects, in terms of procurement, transportation and commissioning at site, is probably the easiest part of the job.In fact, the mismatch between the time taken to […] Read more
As Cancellations Surge, India’s Solar ‘Pipeline’ Drying Up Updated On Thu, Jan 30th, 2020 by Saurenergy News from the much celebrated 2 GW auction of NTPC in 2018, where top developers had bid for prices as low as Rs 2.59 is not good. 70 percent of the capacity won by developers, namely, Acme Solar, Shapoorji Pallonji, and Azure Power, have opted out of the deal, citing regulatory delays. The option of […] Read more
