Thermax Limited has entered into an agreement with California-based Amonix Inc. for bringing the new concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology for solar power generation to India. Under the agreement, 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 providing 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 starts picking up. The solar systems will be indigenised to the extent of 50:50 in the beginning, with a plan to localise up to 60% subsequently.
“Concentrated photovoltaics technology 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% module efficiency, and provides 29% post inverter power. The pole-mounted panels are fitted with dual-axis tracking systems, and require no water. The cost for setting up the CPV would be around Rs 10-12 crore per MW, he added.