India is a country that has tremendous solar energy potential, but in reality, the technology is often neglected because of its higher initial cost.
However, this may be set to change with the price of solar power in India falling at a faster-than-expected rate this year. Supportive government policies to promote the installation and expansion of solar power as well as technical advances have played constructive roles in the growth of grid connected solar power, while at the same time bringing the cost down, resulting in a 60% reduction in the cost of solar power generation between 2011 and 2014 alone. Due to this dip, some experts suggest that by 2020, renewable energy in Asia’s third-largest economy may become up to 10% cheaper than coal power, and the Indian government has now set a target of 100GW in installed solar capacity by 2022.
A company that has been focusing its efforts on the emerging solar technology industry in India is GE, which has recently introduced its 1.5kV inverter to the local market.
Compared to the standard market offering in India or 1kV inverters, GE's higher DC voltage technology enables a reduced number of electrical components, reducing the infrastructure and operating cost of the farm. The LV5 product has been designed and tested for high reliability with minimal maintenance or replacement of components required in the inverter over the solar plant’s lifetime of more than 20 years.
For the technology, GE partnered with Solargise, a company which is currently building solar farms in seven different locations across India, including the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP and Karnataka.
Peter Oram, sales leader for global renewables at GE Power Conversion, said, “We are excited to take part in the solar surge in India, helping the local industry become increasingly viable and cost competitive. By introducing the 1.5kV inverters in India, we can help our customers increase revenues in the long term.”
GE is to provide the inverters at the first locations in three batches starting this month. The remaining deliveries will be made throughout 2016 depending on individual project schedules. Apart from supplying and commissioning, the company is also providing training to local solar power plant operators and maintenance personnel to optimise the inverters’ performance.
Raj Basu, Solargise India executive chairman, said: “GE is and will remain an integral partner as, with our combined strengths, we intend to grow together in the Indian solar market.”
Solar is not the only renewable energy resource GE is trying to expand to emerging markets. Following the requirements put in place by the Brazilian Economical and Social Development Bank (BNDES) for wind turbine components to be locally manufactured, GE has nationalised in Brasil its 3.15MW Double Fed Induction Generator (DFIG), which is used with onshore wind turbines in the 3MW power range.
The move marks GE as the only supplier of generators of this power rating, in the country. The DFIG component is already being manufactured in GE Power Conversion’s factory in Campinas, São Paulo, and the serial production deliveries started in September this year.
Sergio Zuquim, Latin America commercial leader at GE Power Conversion, said: “Wind power plays a strategic role in the country's energy mix. In this regard, attracting new suppliers to work in the local wind market will become even more important to sustain the expansion of the wind industry in the many years to come.”
The company is working on the process of nationalising the converters and inverters needed to produce wind and solar energy, taking advantage of the growth of renewable sources in the Brazilian energy mix. Today, wind energy makes up 5% of the country's energy mix, with 7.5GW of total installed capacity, while new projects to install over 2.6GW of solar energy have been contracted since 2014.
Emerging markets may face their challenges, but demand for renewable sources of electricity such as solar and wind turbines, plus their ancillary equipment, are increasing rapidly. For companies prepared to overcome the barriers, the rewards are becoming valuable.