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Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief

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					</table>Researchers at the <a href="https://www.modares.ac.ir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tarbiat Modares University</a> in Iran have found that concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) helps in shading management while equally distributing the solar spectrum to balance energy and water levels in crops.
The work published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/applied-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Applied Energy</a> highlights that the balanced distribution of sunlight using CPV allows photovoltaic systems to generate sufficient amounts of electricity without affecting agricultural production.
They claimed that solar thermal collectors can be used to convert solar energy into heat, while photovoltaics can be used to convert solar radiation directly into electricity. The researchers used CPV and mitigated the issue of shading.
CPV is a clean technology that offers enhanced spectral processing capabilities and comes with highly concentrated power-generating efficiency, making the technology a suitable solution for integrating photosynthesis.
The researchers in the new work observed the working principles of CPV modules and studied their uses in concentrating <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/agrivoltaics-solve-land-scarcity-problem-solar-installations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agrivoltaics</a>.
The researchers used parabolic glass covered with a multilayer dichroic polymer film that reflected near-infrared (NIR) radiation onto the solar cells installed at the focal area, which helped transmit photons in the range of photosynthetically active radiation.
The scientists then used Fresnel lenses, highly transparent sun-tracking louvers that help concentrate direct sunlight onto the solar cells to generate electricity.
While crops or plants do not require the complete solar spectrum to grow, combining photovoltaics to the process maintains the amount of energy and water level required for the growth.
However, the researchers stated that the development and use of CPV technology are slower due to relatability issues, high installation costs, lack of data and field expertise, and crucial inputs on maintenance and operating costs.
The team further claimed that developing photovoltaics for use in agriculture can further eliminate the dependence of farmers on fossil fuels and contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions globally.
In a similar study, material scientists at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/roof-organic-solar-cells-greenhouse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designed</a> a solar roof with semi-transparent solar cells for a miniature greenhouse prototype. They found that the solar roof helped produce sufficient energy from sunlight to grow plants or crops.
A team of researchers from Cornell University <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-find-crops-improves-panel-efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that growing commercial crops on solar farms is an efficient use of agricultural land, which can boost both commercial food production and improve the performance and longevity of solar panels.

Concentrated Photovoltaics Helps Crop Growth And Generate Electricity

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					</table>In India, agriculture plays a critical role in the economy, with nearly 60% of its land under farming and almost 300 days of sunshine every year. The country has an excellent opportunity to emerge as a global leader in agrivoltaics.
Agrivoltaics is the simultaneous use of land for both solar power generation and agriculture.
In India, conversations have just started on adopting agrivoltaics to solve the rising need for land to ensure both food and energy security.
The inter-disciplinary nature of this business proposition is making adopting agrivoltaics a global challenge. Despite the challenges, several entrepreneurs are giving it a shot.
Shravan Sampath is one such entrepreneur in Delhi who has set up a 110 kW capacity agrivoltaics project in a fruit orchard and is in the process of setting up another project of similar size now.
His insights capture the challenges in a nutshell. “The elevated structure for agrivoltaics requires steel. Steel prices will keep the cost of agrivoltaics high,” Shravan told Mercom. “Another factor is that entrepreneurs like me are asked to set up solar installation and leave the farming to others. That is not pragmatic. Both have to be done by a single stakeholder.”
The total number of documented agrivoltaics projects across the country is still in double digits and may cross the 100-mark next year. A <a href="https://ieefa.org/resources/agrivoltaics-india-fertile-ground" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on Agrivoltaics in India published by Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis points in this direction.
The agrivoltaics project implemented by the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (<a href="http://www.cazri.res.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CAZRI</a>) in Sitapur town in Rajasthan is a pilot for many arid regions. Rishi Singh, one of the farmers who benefited from agrivoltaics in Sitapur, says, “This is a Godsend. I got a good wheat harvest after a long time because of the agrivoltaics method.”
In a land where crops were devastated by high temperatures, the photovoltaic solar panels have given the much-needed shade and saved the crops. “Arid regions across India will benefit from agrivoltaics. It is a win-win for the farmers and the government. CAZRI has demonstrated it through pilot projects,” says an official of CAZRI.
In an agrivoltaics project maintained by the Gujarat State Electricity Company Limited (GSECL) in the Jamnagar district of the state for the last three years, several crops, including ladyfinger (okra), bottle gourd, coriander, and cluster beans, were cultivated successfully during summer. And tomato, cucumber, zucchini, and chilies were cultivated during winter.
Cables were laid at a depth that doesn’t restrict regular field plowing in this plant. The 1 MW power generated by this plant is sold to the Gujarat power distribution company (Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam) through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Vikash Sharma, an entrepreneur in Himachal Pradesh, is running a 250 kW solar power project in a 2.2-acre field. He has no regrets as he enters the fourth year of operations. “Garlic, onion, pepper, and brinjal were cultivated. The return on investment (RoI) is in the range of 8 to 10%,” he told Mercom. According to him, a good working relationship with farmers is a prerequisite for solar entrepreneurs to make these projects viable. He is optimistic about the future of agrivoltaics in India.
In the 105 kW agrivoltaics plant developed by CAZRI in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, electricity generation yields more money than agriculture. Mungbean, moth bean, cluster bean, isabgol, cumin, chickpea, aloe vera, sonamukhi, sankhpuspi, chili, cabbage, onion, and garlic were cultivated in this field. CAZRI officials said that they would eventually make it viable by consistent action on the ground.
The 1 MW agrivoltaics system at the Mahindra Susten plant in Telangana yields 60 to 70 liters of lemongrass crude oil from the one-acre cultivated area. Annatto dye, brinjal, lady finger, green chili, and onions were also cultivated here.
Mahindra Susten officials say the panels were mounted sufficiently high to allow the crops planted below to receive as much sunshine as they would if the panels were not there. They express confidence that this system could be a role model.
“Land is a limited resource, and solar capacity addition in India requires large tracts of land. As we have land ceiling acts in place in several states, the only path forward is the double usage of land for agriculture and solar power generation. That is where agrivoltaics acquires importance,” says Shravan Sampath.
Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis says that agrivoltaic installed capacity has grown from about 5 MW in 2012 to approximately 2.9 GW in 2021 across the globe. Per IEEFA, India’s renewable energy and food security needs have made agrivoltaics a practical option in the long run.
The momentum has just begun for agrivoltaics in India. The lessons acquired in the pilot projects across India will go a long way in implementing future projects. Viability gap funding with a relevant policy framework and banking infrastructure in the initial years would accelerate the growth of agrivoltaics.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy should come together and derive a policy framework to incentivize agrivoltaics,” Akhilesh Kumar, an expert in agriculture and adviser to many government agencies, said. “The data from the existing agrivoltaics projects across India should be compiled and made accessible to the farmers and the solar entrepreneurs.”
According to him, the bright side in this long journey of agrivoltaics is the coming together of farmers and solar energy entrepreneurs. He suggests a transparent conversation on the existing data from different regions and the support to be extended by the governments.
Experts point out that in the long run, the Prime Minister’s KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) project’s success could augur well for agrivoltaics. “KUSUM has solarization of agriculture pumps as the third component. If it catches up, it will gradually lead to a favorable mindset for adopting agrivoltaics,” says a government agricultural official in Gujarat.
Officials across India who spoke to Mercom admit to the fear in the farming sector about the possible loss of subsidized electricity in case they accelerate the solarization of agricultural infrastructure. “The fear element should be addressed by consistent communication with the stakeholders,” says Akhilesh Kumar.
Shravan Sampath feels that solar energy entrepreneurs may find it challenging to work with farmers in the initial years. “The solar energy entrepreneurs may expand their bandwidth to understand and practice agriculture over time,” he says. The existing conflict or tension between farmers and solar energy entrepreneurs may take years to resolve. “It is the sentiment of ownership that comes in the way of solarization reforms. With real-time, long-term benefits data, agrivoltaics can be sold to Indian farmers,” says a confident Kumar.

Agrivoltaics Could Solve the Land Scarcity Problem for Solar

<a href="https://www.oorjasolutions.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oorja Development Solutions</a>, a Delhi-based off-grid solar services provider, said it had secured $1 million in seed funding from Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia (<a href="https://www.electrifi.eu/schneider-electric-energy-access-asia-seeaa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEEAA</a>).
The company will utilize the funding for agri-energy infrastructure projects and expand its operations and team in northern India. The funding will also help the company scale its operations in existing and new markets in India over the next 18 months.
The company aims to expand its consumer base in rural areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. It is expected to deploy 121 solar projects concentrated in 22 clusters, impacting up to 6,000 low-income houses by December 2022. These projects will employ 45 local community members and save around 200 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by December 2022.
The company, backed by Cross Border Growth Capital, aims to empower 10 million farmers globally by 2030 with affordable solar-powered irrigation, milling, and cooling services.
Oorja said its consumers are farmers with a monthly income of less than $100. They save up to 50% by shifting from diesel to solar-powered green energy. The company estimates that users can enhance their farming income by 100% by expanding the number of growing seasons, cultivating new crops, and reducing post-harvest waster of horticultural produce.
The company has also received $180,000 in a grant from Water &amp; Energy for Food Grand Challenge (<a href="https://we4f.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WE4F</a>) and the <a href="https://www.advanceconsulting.nl/financing/grants/doen-foundation/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwY-LBhD6ARIsACvT72NQp4ZgGIyQ1XzlSMEgtNHDcIPvQ5KyElwn1l4x0uy3FU8Ac3BZcm0aApM8EALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOEN Foundation</a>. The grant has been awarded to install 18 agri-energy clusters benefiting over 30,000 farmers. It will also receive technical assistance to scale its innovations and expand its reach among women farmers.
In 2019, Oorja Development Solutions <a href="https://mercomindia.com/oorja-wins-100000-solar-pumps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge for its community solar pumping systems implemented in rural India.
Oorja&#8217;s innovations are backed by social impact investors like Echoing Green and supported by the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.
According to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomcapital.com/product/1h-q2-2021-solar-funding-ma-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1H and Q2 2021 Solar Funding and M&amp;A Report,</a> in 1H 2021, global VC funding – including venture capital, private equity, and corporate venture capital – in the solar sector increased 680% to $1.6 billion, compared to $210 million in 1H 2020. In 1H 2021, a total of 85 investors participated in solar funding.
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Oorja Raises $1 Million in Seed Funding for Agri Solar Solutions

The Andhra Pradesh government has agreed to procure 9 GW of solar power from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.seci.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SECI</a>). SECI will supply power to the state&#8217;s agriculture sector for the next 30 years.
According to PTI, the state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy approved the SECI proposal.
SECI had written to the Andhra Pradesh government asking to procure 9 GW of solar capacity to be set up in the years 2024, 2025, and 2026 in three tranches of 3 GW each. The tariff quoted is ₹2.49 (~$0.034)/kWh, including SECI&#8217;s trading margin.
The 9 GW offered is part of the manufacturing linked solar projects auctioned in January last year. Adani and Azure both <a href="https://mercomindia.com/adani-azure-win-seci-solar-tender-greenshoe-option-next/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">won</a> the bid to develop 2,000 MW of projects with 500 MW of manufacturing capacity in the auction. The winning tariff quoted by both the companies was ₹2.92 (~$0.04)/kWh.
The tender also had a greenshoe option, where the companies could opt for an additional capacity to develop and manufacture. Under the option, Adani had offered a solar cell and module manufacturing capacity of 1,500 MW and 6 GW of generation. Azure added 500 MW manufacturing and 2 GW generation.
Recently, Mercom reported that SECI <a href="https://mercomindia.com/regulator-allows-odisha-discom-solar-seci/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a power sale agreement for 500 MW with Grid Corporation of Odisha (<a href="https://www.gridco.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GRIDCO</a>). The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (<a href="https://www.tangedco.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TANGEDCO</a>) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tamil-nadu-purchase-1000-mw-solar-from-seci/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a> to procure 1 GW. Both the states have decided to purchase power at ₹2.61 (~$0.035)/kWh  &#8211; ₹2.54 (~$0.034)/kWh plus a trading margin of ₹0.07 (~$0.0009)/kWh.
But now it remains to be seen what happens to the Andhra government&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/andhra-install-supply-free-solar-farmers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> to develop 10 GW of solar power projects to supply free power to farmers in the state.
The government had invited bids for 6.4 GW of solar projects, which was also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/andhra-pradesh-tender-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oversubscribed</a>. The state agency received requests for 14.9 GW of solar projects from five bidders – Shirdi Sai Electricals, Adani Group, Torrent Power, NTPC, and HES-SSISPL.
But the bid ran into legal complications. The <a href="https://hc.ap.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andhra Pradesh High Court</a> had upheld a petition filed by Tata Power Energy Limited and <a href="https://mercomindia.com/andhra-quashes-solar-tender-apegcl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quashed</a> the request for selection and the draft power purchase agreements. Later, a larger bench headed by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Justice <a href="https://mercomindia.com/andhra-high-courts-order-quash-6-4-gw-solar-tender-suspended/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suspended</a> the order issued by the single-judge quashing bid.
If the Andhra Pradesh government signs a power sale agreement for the 9 GW, SECI will be crossing a major hurdle of selling the power from the manufacturing-linked solar project. The tariff of ₹2.92 (~$0.04)/kWh discovered in the auction was considered expensive by the DISCOMs.

Andhra Pradesh Accepts SECI’s Offer for 9 GW of Solar at ₹2.49/kWh

Tamil Nadu has proposed installing 5,000 solar pumps for which 70% subsidy will be provided, according to the state&#8217;s first-ever &#8216;agriculture budget&#8217; recently presented to the Legislative Assembly.
Minister for Agriculture and Farmers&#8217; Welfare M R K Panneerselvam, presenting the &#8216;agriculture budget,&#8217; said that the power demand for &#8216;well irrigation&#8217; was on the rise, and an effective way to address the demand was to use solar-powered pumps.
To facilitate the same, the Chief Minster&#8217;s Solar Powered Pumpsets Program will be implemented, under which 5,000 solar pumps up to 10 horsepower (HP) capacity with 70% subsidy will be installed, with provision for off-grid, standalone solar powered pumping system.
The program will have an outlay of ₹1.14 billion (~$15.37 million) and utilize state and union government funds in 2021-22.
In November last year, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://www.tnerc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TNERC</a>) passed an order <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tamil-nadu-benchmark-tariff-solar-pumps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">setting</a> a benchmark tariff of ₹2.28 (~$0.031)/kWh to set up 20,000 agricultural solar pumps under component-C of the KUSUM program.
The Commission also approved a ₹1 (~$0.013)/kWh incentive for farmers for exporting surplus energy back into the grid.
In his budget speech, the minister emphasized the importance of irrigation for profitable farming and declared that free electricity would be provided to 2.219 million electric motors used for farming.
He added that the government would pay ₹20,000 (~$270)/pump per annum to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (<a href="http://www.tneb.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TNEB</a>) on behalf of the farmers. The government will allocate ₹45.08 billion (~$608 million) to the TNEB.
A subsidy of ₹10,000 (~$134) will be extended to buy new electric motor pumps or replace the old, inefficient electric motor pumps for groundwater irrigation.
The subsidy would be extended to 1,000 farmers who own less than three acres of land with an outlay of ₹10 million (~$134,962).
Tamil Nadu is not favored by developers for the large-scale project development due to excessive power curtailment problems. The state’s DISCOM also had the highest backlog of overdue payments to power generators. The state is way behind meeting its renewable purchasing obligations. Integrating solar with agriculture is an innovative initiative that the state is exploring.
In January this year, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (<a href="https://seci.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SECI</a>) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-issues-tender-solar-projects-tamil-nadu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a tender for 50 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, including a 10 MW agro-PV component in Tamil Nadu. Agro PV projects involve developing solar projects and cultivating crops on the same plot. The projects provide the added benefits of shielding plantations from harsh sunlight and controlling weed growth.

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