The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has invited bids for empaneling agencies to install 25 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems in the state.

The contract will also include comprehensive maintenance for five years. The last date for the submission of bids is September 18, 2020, and the pre-bid meeting will take place on September 09, 2020. The work must be completed in two months from the date of the sanction of the application.

The bidders can take part under any of the two categories- Category A and Category B.

To take part in category A, the bidder should have successfully commissioned at least 100 kW of grid-connected solar systems in residential, industrial, commercial, government, or any other sector. The total capacity to be allocated under this category has been reserved as 20 MW.

New entrepreneurs and who are not covered under category A can take part in the category B bidding. The total capacity to be allocated under this category has been fixed as 5 MW.

Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹500,000 (~$68,223) as the earnest money deposit (EMD) to take part in the category A bidding process, whereas, to take part in the category B bidding process, the bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹300,000 (~$40,933) as of the EMD.

The average annual turnover of category A bidders should be ₹5 million (~$68,223) per year for the last three financial years. Category B bidders have been exempted from the annual financial turnover criteria.

The tender document said that 15 MW capacity would be allocated in the range of 1 kW to 3 kW, 6.5 MW capacity will be issued for 3 kW to 10 kW, and 3.5 MW for capacities between 10 kW and 100 kW.

Under this project, central financial assistance (CFA) of up to 40% will be given for systems up to 3 kW. In contrast, for systems above 3 kW and up to 10 kW, a CFA of 40% would be applicable only for the first 3 kW capacity, and for others, it has been set at 20%.

The bids are for implementing Phase –II of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)’s grid-connected residential rooftop solar program.

For group housing societies and residential welfare associations, the CFA will be limited to 20% for the installation of a rooftop system for the supply of power to common facilities.

As per the tender document, the bidder should use only locally manufactured solar modules with indigenously manufactured solar cells.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Maharashtra has around 260 MW of rooftop solar capacity installed in the state, as of June 2020.

Recently, MSEDCL asked all superintending engineers in its operations and maintenance circles to adhere to the prescribed time limits for approving rooftop installation applications. All superintending engineers were directed to process the rooftop solar applications only through the online portal within the time limit prescribed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Previously, Mercom had reported that the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency invited bids for 3.65 MW of grid-connected solar projects in the state. The tender included both rooftop and ground-mounted solar systems to be installed at various existing water lifting and treatment projects.