The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) has invited bids for a 1 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) project at the Srikalahasti Temple in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

Interested bidders have to pay an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹1 million (~$13,641).  The last date for the submission of bids is January 25, 2020.

Of the 1 MW capacity, 400 kW will be rooftop solar and 600 kW ground-mounted with single-axis and fixed tracking systems.

The scope of work includes the design, engineering, supply, installation, testing, commissioning of the projects. Selected bidders must also provide operations and maintenance services for ten years with multiple solar PV configurations as detailed below:

The solar PV modules must meet the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) or Bureau of Indian Standards’ (BIS) quality specifications.

Applicants must have been in the field of solar power systems for at least five years. They must be empaneled with NREDCAP as a supplier of grid-connected rooftop solar systems.

They must have previously designed, supplied, erected, and commissioned solar PV-based grid-connected or interactive power projects with a cumulative installed capacity of at least 5 MW in the last five years. At least one of these projects must be over 3 MW at a single location.

Applicants must have executed solar projects with the configurations mentioned in the tender for a minimum capacity of 300 kW, excluding micro inverters. These projects must have been operational for at least a year. They must also have installed at least 1 MW of grid-connected solar projects in Andhra Pradesh with a single-axis tracking system, which should have been operational for at least three years.

Bidders must have a cumulative annual turnover of at least ₹80 million (~$1.09 million) over the last three financial years and a minimum net worth of at least ₹10 million (~$136,414). They must also provide a solvency certificate from bankers for at least ₹50 million (~$682,068).

This tender for a solar installation at the Srikalahasti temple comes on the heels of other temples including Odisha’s Konark Sun temple, Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat, and Maharashtra’s Shirdi Temple planning to go solar.