Thermax Ltd has entered into an agreement with California-based Amonix Inc to bring the new concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology for solar power generation to India. Under the partnership, Amonix will provide the solar power modules and technology for putting up power plants, while Thermax will be the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) partner to provide turnkey solutions to customers.

Amonix proposes to manufacture the CPV modules at the Flextronics Technologies plant in Chennai initially, and plans on building a separate facility in India when business picks up. The solar systems will be indigenised to the extent of 50:50 in the beginning, with a plan to localise up to 60 per cent subsequently.

High efficiency

“Concentrated PV will be a game changer in solar power generation technologies because of the substantially high efficiency it offers,” Mr M S Unnikrishnan, Managing Director and CEO, Thermax, said.

The exclusive arrangement with Amonix will enable Thermax to bid for projects in India, he said, adding that the company will (help developers) bid for the next round of PPAs under the National Solar Mission (NSM) due to open in September.

Mr Brian Robertson, CEO, Amonix, said that the technology, originally developed for aerospace applications, has 38 per cent module efficiency and provides 29 per cent post-inverter power.

The pole-mounted panels are fitted with dual-axis tracking systems, and require no water and half the land as conventional solar panels for power production, he said, adding that the cost was around Rs 10-12 crore per MW.

India has chalked out a robust programme to generate solar energy and the first phase of the NSM aims to commission 1,000 MW of grid-connected solar power projects by 2013.

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