Reliance Power, Lanco shortlisted for solar-thermal modules

Around 60 companies, including Lanco, KVK Energy and Reliance Power, have been shortlisted for the solar-thermal collector modules project, which is part of the government’s ambitious plan to reduce the price of solar power generation.

Solar thermal collector panels gather the sun’s heat, which is then directed to heat water so that the ensuing steam energy can be captured.

For another project — involving photovoltaic technology — 300 companies have been shortlisted.

Solar-thermal collector-based power plants are seen as cheaper to set up, leading the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission to stipulate a lower price of Rs15.31 per unit compared with Rs17.91 promised for photovoltaic panel-based solar plants.

While Lanco Power and KVK Energy have offered a discount of Rs4.82 and Rs4.11 per unit, respectively, for 100 mw capacity in Rajasthan for solar thermal modules, another company, Megha Energy’s discount works to Rs4 per unit for a capacity of 50 mw, according to sources.

The Reliance Power-promoted Rajasthan Sun Technique has offered a discount of Rs3.34 for setting up a 100 mw solar plant.
Under Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission Phase-I, the discounts are much higher than anticipated by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam.

An arm of the transmission giant, NTPC Vidyut is the designated nodal agency to procure solar power from photovoltaic and solar-thermal project developers.

It received applications for develop ping 1,740 mw of photovoltaic projects, compared with a target of 150 mw in the first batch of Phase-I.

For solar thermal projects, 60 companies have bid offering a capacity of around 2,666 mw as against the required capacity of 500 mw.

The PPAs are likely to be signed by December, giving a purchase guarantee for the power produced by the plants to be set up by the bid winners, sources said.

This 650 mw programme is itself a part of the first phase of the National Solar Mission, which  aims to set up 20,000 mw of solar power in 10 years.