The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) has issued a tender for 1 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects along with solar parking and off-grid solar benches. These are to be installed at 25 to 30 smart tourist locations across Gujarat.

The estimated financial cost of the project is ₹50 million (~$0.73 million). The capacity can be further increased if the corporation decides to incorporate more locations to be covered under this tender.

The last date for the submission of bids is September 6, 2019.

The work is to be carried out on a turnkey basis. It would include the survey, design, supply of SPV systems with all accessories and equipment, metering, installation, testing, and commissioning of all the projects. The successful bidder will also bear the maintenance services for five years with free replacement warranty on spare parts against any manufacturing defects.

The tender specifies that the rates quoted by the bidder will be inclusive of taxes, levies, duties, and will be applicable for two years.

The official of the TCGL said that the capacity of 1MW will be “extended as per the government requirement.”

The scope of work also includes a survey of the identified sites and the preparation of a detailed project report of the proposed locations.  The successful bidder must obtain a no-objection certificate and net metering connectivity agreements from the concerned distribution company for grid-connectivity.

For the eligibility criteria, TCGL has maintained that only those bidders who manufacture either solar PV modules or inverters and have adequate facilities for testing (i.e., sun simulator, digital DC power supply, solarimeter, and multimeters) of the solar systems would be allowed to supply the systems under the program.

The PV modules must be tested and approved by one of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) authorized test centers.

According to the tender, the technical specifications will include that all components and parts used in the SPV power projects including the PV modules, metallic structures, cables, junction box, switches, and portable control units (PCUs), must comply with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or IEC or international specifications.

The PV modules should be made in India, as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) requirements.

The total solar PV array capacity should not be less than the allocated capacity and should consist of solar crystalline modules of a minimum 200 W with module efficiency not less than 14%.

A few weeks ago, the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) floated a tender for 250 MW of solar power projects ranging between 20 MW to 60 MW at substations of Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO). The tender was for the design, engineering, supply and procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of the 250 MW SPV projects.

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) recently passed an order allowing Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) and the other distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the state to procure power from small solar projects of capacity up to 4 MW to meet their renewable purchase obligations (RPO).