The Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), has invited an expression of interest for the empanelment of installers to set up grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems totaling 10 MW. The rooftop solar systems would be installed for residential buildings, group housing societies, and residential welfare associations. CESC supplies electricity to five districts in Karnataka – Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandya, and Mysore.

The rooftop solar systems will have net metering facility and will include a five-year annual maintenance contract. The empanelment will be under the ‘Soura Gruha Yojane’ rooftop solar program Phase-II. The subsidies under the program will be provided as per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’ second phase of grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic program.

The last date for submission of bids is July 5, 2021. The bids will be opened on July 7. Prospective bidders do not need to pay earnest money deposit. The validity of the offer is 180 days, and the period of empanelment is one year.

The scope of work includes the design, supply, installation, metering, testing, and commissioning of rooftop solar PV grid-connected power units. Winning bidders would also prepare a detailed project report of the proposed rooftop solar system for capacities greater than 100 kW as prescribed by CESC. In addition, winning bidders would survey shadow-free space for the shortlisted consumers furnished to successful bidders.

A tripartite agreement would be executed between CESC, the consumer, and the successful bidder for engineering, procurement, and construction purposes. Non-performing or underperforming solar modules would have to be replaced free of cost during the AMC period.

The bidder would set up a service center in each district; if it is not economically viable for an individual vendor, a group of empaneled vendors could establish a service center. The bidder would install the rooftop solar plant within the timeframe decided by CESC.

The MNRE had issued operational guidelines for implementing the phase-II grid-connected rooftop solar program. Under this program, ‘Component A’ is to set up 4,000 MW grid-connected rooftop solar systems in the residential sector with Central Financial Assistance (CFA).

The CFA pattern for the residential sector is as follows:

Considering the lowest benchmark rates, the approximate amount put to tender is ₹470 million (~$6.32 million). The bidders would quote the price for the system capacities through reverse bidding based on the benchmark cost as listed in the table below:

The quoted price would include total system cost, including PV modules, inverters, the balance of systems, local connectivity cost, cost of civil works, and its installation, commissioning, transportation, insurance, the capital cost of online monitoring, comprehensive maintenance charges for five years, applicable fees and taxes.

The bidder should only use indigenously manufactured modules as prescribed under the Approved List of Models & Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar PV modules.

The bidder’s company should be registered under the Company Act, 1956, and should be in existence for at least three years. The bidder should either be a system integrator or a module manufacturer, or both.

The bidder should have the experience of completing a minimum 5 MW capacity grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects in any one of the previous five financial years from 2015-16 onwards ( 2016-17 to 2020-21) in Karnataka for state or central government, public sector undertakings, and the private sector.

The annual turnover of the bidder should not be less than 25% of the amount put to tender in any one of the previous five financial years from 2015-16 onwards. The liquid assets of the bidder (consisting of cash at bank, term deposits, and availability of fund-based credit or overdraft facility) on or after the date of notification of tender in any nationalized or scheduled commercial bank should not be less than 12.5% of the amount put to tender.

The financial eligibility criteria are not applicable for vendors registered with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade or the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. However, these bidders are only allowed to bid up to 10 kW capacity.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, Karnataka has so far floated tenders for 151 MW of rooftop solar projects.