The Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) has invited bids for the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of 7 MW grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects.

The projects will be developed under the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model on various government buildings in Bihar. The contract will also include comprehensive maintenance for five years.

The last date for the submission of bids is March 18, 2020, and the interested bidders will have to pay an amount of ₹200,000 (~$2,760) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

The bidder should have a cumulative experience of installing at least one grid-connected solar PV project with a capacity of 350 kW or more during the last three years. The bidder should have installed at least one grid-connected solar power project having a capacity of not less than 20 kW, which should have been commissioned in the last three years.

In terms of financial criteria, the minimum average annual turnover of the bidder for the best three financial years out of five should not be less than ₹20 million (~$276,056). The bidder should have a positive net worth at the close of the preceding financial year.

Earlier this year, the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) floated a tender for 5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects across the state for the residential sector.

Bihar’s electricity distribution companies are operating under stress to meet their renewable purchase obligation (RPO). In April 2019, DISCOMs in the state was penalized for not being able to meet RPO targets. When it comes to the development of rooftop projects in the state, the numbers here have also been disappointing. According to November 2019 estimates, there were only 10.4 MW of rooftop solar projects operational in the state.

Recently, the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) approved ₹4.15 (~$0.058)/kWh as the tariff to procure 2 MW of power from floating solar PV projects in Darbhanga. Floating solar projects have great potential in a state like Bihar, where land acquisition is a challenge.

Earlier, BREDA reissued its first large-scale solar tender with a revised ceiling tariff. In June 2019, Bihar had invited bids for setting up 250 MW of grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects in the state. This tender has now been reissued for the same capacity.

The state of Bihar is still lagging in solar expansion. According to Mercom India’s Solar Project Tracker, the state currently has only 110 MW of large-scale solar projects in operation.