Welcoming the new guidelines for selection of grid-connected solar photo-voltaic projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JN-NSM), SEMI India sees independent power producers (IPPs) playing a larger role in setting up bigger projects of up to 50 mw.
As an industry body serving the solar/PV industry, SEMI India says these guidelines will enhance the selection of 350 MW of solar PV projects under the JN-NSM. This is applicable to solar PV projects during 2011-2012.
According to Mr. Debasish Paul Choudhury, President, SEMI India, “the newly announced guidelines will pave the way for leading Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to participate in by taking advantage of cap per developer going up to 50 MW.”
“Established industry leaders are increasing their investment. It would be most appropriate to extend the purview of the domestic content requirement to apply to local projects,” Mr. K. Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar and chairperson of SEMI’s India PV Advisory Committee.
Mr. Choudhury said “there is need to be established for the industry to be able to innovate and drive down costs. Financing is expensive and hard to secure for solar projects and questions persist around the bankability of documentation that developers need to submit to secure financing. Government payment security schemes and loan guarantee schemes are starting to address the situation, but more remains to be done.
“If interest rates may be brought down, through priority lending to the solar sector, the Indian solar industry will see huge growth avenues,” Mr. Subramanya said.
SEMI India is set to host SOLARCON India, the premier solar technology and business event during November 9-11 in Hyderabad.