There were two interesting small solar tenders one from a government agency and the other from an industry association that was issued this week. These tenders display a variety of buildings that are going solar in India.

The Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) has invited bids for an EPC contractor to construct a ground-mounted solar power project with an installed capacity of 250 kW. The project will be owned by Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS), Thrissur and will be developed in its premises.

The scope of the tender includes the design, erection, testing, and commissioning, along with the operation and maintenance of the project for the first five years.

The last date for bid submission has been set for May 24, 2019, with a pre-bid meeting slotted for May 17, 2019.

The tender document states that this contract on a composite supply basis and has a time frame of six months for the complete execution starting from the date of getting possession of the location.

In its pursuit of achieving the national target of 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022, the state of Kerala plans to develop 1,000 MW of solar projects under the SOURA program, as reported previously by Mercom. The SOURA program is to be jointly implemented by Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) and Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT), the state nodal agency for renewable projects.

Recently, KSEBL had invited interested domestic bidders for the appointment of an EPC contractor for the design, erection, testing, and commissioning of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on buildings owned by the district panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram, as reported by Mercom. The total installed capacity of this turnkey project will be 121 kW, with the total project cost estimated to be ₹7.29 million ($0.1 million).

The tender also included O&M services for the first five years from the date of commissioning of the project. The last date for bidding is May 24, 2019, and a pre-bid meeting will be held on May 17, 2019.

Another small solar rooftop tender for 100 kW has been floated by the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) at its premises.

The work includes the design, supply, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of the rooftop solar PV system. The detailed tender document will be made available from May 29, 2019, and the last date for submission has been fixed on July 4, 2019.

Recently, Mercom analyzed the growth and hurdles of the rooftop solar sector in India. The rooftop solar segment in India has been growing at a brisk pace, with cumulative installed capacity reaching 3,260 MW as of December 2018. Rooftop installations grew 66% (year-over-year) with capacity additions of 1,655 MW in 2018.

Soumik is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, Soumik was a correspondent for UNI, New Delhi covering the Northeast region for seven years. He has also worked as an Asia Correspondent for Washington DC-based Hundred Reporters. He has contributed as a freelancer to several national and international digital publications with a focus on data-based investigative stories on environmental corruption, hydro power projects, energy transition and the circular economy. Soumik is an Economics graduate from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University.