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					</table>The International Finance Corporation (<a href="https://mercomindia.com/ifc-provide-50-million-loan-acme-jaipur-solar-power-private-limited-250-mw-solar-project-rewa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IFC</a>), a member of the World Bank, will provide a $50 million (~₹3.2 billion) loan to ACME Jaipur Solar Power Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACME Solar, to develop a 250 MW solar project in the Rewa Solar Park in Madhya Pradesh.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/inox-wind-supply-100-mw-wind-turbines-adani-wind-project-gujarat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inox Wind</a>, a wind energy solutions provider, has closed a deal to develop a 100 MW wind power project for Adani Green Energy, part of the Adani Group, in Kutch, Gujarat.
Investors got to participate in the India solar story after the government of India sold a five percent stake in the National Thermal Power Corporation (<a href="https://mercomindia.com/investors-get-participate-india-solar-story-government-sale-5-percent-stake-ntpc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC</a>), a state-owned public utility and the largest power utility in India, for $1.03 billion.
The total number of <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sale-non-solar-recs-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">non-solar renewable energy certificate (RECs)</a> sold in August 2017 was 2,89,505, a 42 percent decrease from the 4,95,295 of non-solar RECs sold in July 2017.
In a study, the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (<a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-power-drastically-improves-healthcare-systems-chhattisgarg-ceew/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEEW</a>) found that solar-powered primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Chhattisgarh admitted over 50 percent more patients and conducted almost twice the number of child deliveries in a month compared to power-deficit PHCs that lacked solar systems.
In August, solar auctions fell precipitously in India. Compared to the robust auction activity seen in June, solar auctions by MWs fell by <a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-auction-activity-india-falls-cliff-august/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">95%</a> in August with only 76 MW reported.
In the second quarter (Apr-Jun) of 2017, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-imports-fell-9-percent-quarter-quarter-q2-2017-ahead-anti-dumping-recommendations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">export and import</a> activity totaling $1.24 billion (~₹ 79.9 billion) was registered in the Indian solar sector.
ACME Cleantech Solutions commissioned two solar projects totaling <a href="https://mercomindia.com/acme-commissions-two-solar-projects-totaling-100-mw-telangana/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 MW</a> in Telangana.
Solar in India accounted for <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-generated-5-5-billion-units-solar-power-q2-2017-87-percent-increase-q2-2016/">5.5 billion units</a> of electricity produced in the country during the second quarter (Apr-Jun) of 2017, an 87 percent increase over the second quarter of 2016.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has de-empaneled <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-de-empanels-26-rooftop-installers-one-year/">26</a> firms and agencies active in the rooftop solar sector in India.
The Asian Development Bank (<a href="https://mercomindia.com/adb-provide-1-1-billion-loan-strengthen-indonesias-energy-sector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ADB</a>) will provide $1.1 billion in loans to Indonesia for the diversification and strengthen of its energy sector.
The Punjab National Bank (PNB) will finance rooftop solar projects in India through a customized program and provide up to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/punjab-national-bank-provide-500-million-finance-rooftop-solar-projects-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$500 million</a> (~₹32 billion) in term loans to developers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/anti-dumping-investigation-may-drag-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-dumping</a> investigation into solar imports from China, Taiwan, and Malaysia may drag on for a year.
A low tariff of <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gujarat-government-agencies-push-low-bid-or%20a%20year.ustomized%20promarket.d%20will%20p" target="_blank" rel="noopener">₹2.65 (~$0.0413)/kWh</a> was quoted in the recently held Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) 500 MW solar auction, with aggressive bidding by Gujarat government agencies.
Enphase Energy, a US-based solar microinverter company, and Waaree Energies, an Indian module manufacturer and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company, formed a <a href="https://mercomindia.com/enphase-energy-waaree-energies-join-forces-develop-ac-modules-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnership</a> to develop AC solar modules for the Indian market.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/tata-power-ceo-says-indias-solar-manufacturing-sector-needs-support-become-competitive-frowns-anti-dumping-tariffs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TATA Power Solar CEO</a> Ashish Khanna told Mercom India that the Indian solar market has huge potential and lately, in the past three years, the country has been utilizing that potential.
Tax confusion, uncertainty about anti-dumping tariffs, and stagnant demand are all affecting India’s solar sector, which had witnessed relatively smooth growth in the last three-to-four years until the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tariff-gst-uncertainty-temporary-drag-indias-solar-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hiccup</a> that began late last year.
In <a href="https://mercomindia.com/discom-developers-agree-renegotiated-tariff-/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jharkhand</a>, power purchase agreements (PPAs) for a total of 685 MW of solar projects out of 1.1 GW will be signed over the next few days.
The Indian solar market has slowed down a bit in the recent past, but it has huge growth potential according to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/k-n-sreevatsa-abb-says-anti-dumping-duty-levied-inverters-imported-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">K. N. Sreevatsa</a>, vice president and head of the power conversion business unit at ABB Limited.
The more than 15 GW of solar capacity installed in India will require quality operation and maintenance (<a href="https://mercomindia.com/indias-solar-om-drawing-large-global-players-like-nextracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O&amp;M</a>) services, paving way for large global players to enter the market, said Kristan Kirsh, the senior director of marketing communications for NEXTracker.
The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/jinko-solar-exec-says-indian-solar-sector-growing-better-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposition</a> of an anti-dumping duty could be detrimental to India’s growing solar sector Manish Narula, senior director of business development (India), for Jinko Solar told Mercom India.
The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with solar project developers to develop <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tangedco-finally-signs-ppas-1500-mw-solar-tamil-nadu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,500 MW</a> of solar in Tamil Nadu.

Top Headlines and Data Points from Indian Renewable Energy Sector in September 2017

India generated 11.86 billion units (BU) of solar power in the 11-month period from April 2016-February 2017. Solar accounted for 1.04 percent of all power generated in the country during this period, according to Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Compared to the same period in the previous financial year, solar power generation had an 83 percent increase year-over-year.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5574" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1.png" alt="" width="663" height="189" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1.png 663w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1-600x171.png 600w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1-300x86.png 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1-650x185.png 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Solar_Powers_Share_of_Total__Electricity_Generation_in_India_Billion_Units-1-624x178.png 624w" sizes="(max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px" /></a>
Solar now accounts for 15.62 percent of entire renewable energy generation in India.
Compared to the same period in the previous financial year (April 2015 – February 2016), 5.37 billion more units of solar were generated.
There were 75.95 billion units of electricity generated from renewable energy sources during this 11-month period (April 2016-February 2017), much higher compared to the 60.51 billion units of electricity generated by renewable energy sources in the same period in previous financial year.
In the month of February 2017, 1,355 million units of solar power was generated in India, compared to 754 million units in February 2016, an increase of around 80 percent.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5575" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU.png" alt="" width="709" height="358" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU.png 709w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU-600x303.png 600w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU-300x151.png 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU-650x328.png 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/India__Solar_Electricity_Generation_MU-624x315.png 624w" sizes="(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px" /></a>
According to the recently released <a href="http://bit.ly/MercomQ12017IndiaSolar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Q1 India Solar Market Update</a> report by Mercom Communications India, the Indian solar sector is witnessing strong growth with cumulative installations reaching approximately 12.8 GW at the end of Q1 2017. Mercom forecasts 2017 installations to reach approximately <a href="http://bit.ly/mercomindpr1q17" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 GW</a>, a ~130 percent increase year-over-year compared to 4.3 GW installed in 2016 as India becomes one of the top solar markets in the world after China and the United States.

Solar Power Generation in India Was Up 83% in the 11-Month Period from April 2016 -February 2017

Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global communications and consulting firm, released results of a consumer awareness study on renewable energy focused on gauging people’s and businesses’ perception and attitudes toward non-conventional sources of energy in India. Over 1,700 residential and commercial and industrial customers were surveyed. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-6285 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey1.png" alt="" width="224" height="360" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey1.png 224w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey1-187x300.png 187w" sizes="(max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px" /></a>
The “India Consumer Perceptions on Renewable Energy Survey,” conducted by Mercom Communications India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercom Capital Group, found that power cuts have a moderate to major effect on more than 93 percent of businesses polled.
Calling for an uninterrupted supply of electricity, a whopping 94 percent of commercial establishments that took part in the survey said steady power supply could bring a moderate to great improvement in their businesses.
Raj Prabhu, CEO and Co-founder of Mercom Capital Group, commented,  “Not only is this a significant finding, but it is a wake-up call and erases any doubt of the impact power cuts are having on businesses. Improving the power shortage situation is urgently needed if we want to see greater economic growth in India.”
About 65 percent of surveyed businesses rely on backup diesel generators during power cuts, while 22 percent of those who didn’t have a backup generator said they were considering one. As many as 74 percent of commercial survey respondents said they favor consistent power without cuts more than they favor low cost, while for 26 percent cheaper power is more important.
The poll highlighted that solar has emerged as the most recognized source of renewable energy, with 91 percent of commercial respondents and 83 percent of residential respondents being familiar with it. Nearly 58 percent of both groups strongly favor solar energy as a future source of energy generation for India.
The environment was underscored as the most important benefit of solar energy by 71 percent of commercial and 65 percent of residential respondents. Nearly half of all respondents said that it is very important for India to develop and generate more solar power.
When asked about other sources of energy, both commercial (47 percent) and residential (39 percent) respondents had a mostly neutral impression of coal as an energy source. The findings were similar for nuclear energy, with 41 percent of commercial and 32 percent of residential respondents having a neutral view.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-6284 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey2.png" alt="" width="299" height="352" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey2.png 299w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Survey2-255x300.png 255w" sizes="(max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px" /></a>
The survey revealed that only six in 10 (59 percent) commercial respondents were aware of the government-backed subsidy programs for renewable energy. Awareness among residential respondents was at 45 percent. The survey results also highlighted that only 30 percent of commercial respondents and 21 percent of residential respondents were familiar with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE label) products and their benefits.
During the survey, nearly 90 percent of both commercial and residential consumers urged the government to introduce more subsidy schemes.
Prabhu commented, “Though solar was the most recognized energy source, favorability numbers weren’t as high as they could be. Coal, on the other hand, had a high percentage of neutral and no opinions. Generally we found a lot of opportunities for the renewable energy industry to invest in educating and informing consumers and differentiating renewables from fossil fuels in a country that is hungry for power of any kind.”
The survey was conducted by Mercom Communications India in partnership with the BMS College of Engineering and the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in Bangalore, the Institute of Management Development and Research in Pune and the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering in Ahmedabad.
Click here for a copy of the survey: <a href="http://bit.ly/mercomicpre">India Consumer Perceptions on Renewable Energy Survey</a>
About Mercom Capital Group
Mercom Capital Group, llc, is a global communications and consulting firm focused on Healthcare IT, cleantech and financial communications. Mercom’s consulting division advises companies on new market entry, overall strategic decision-making, and provides custom market research. Mercom delivers highly respected industry market intelligence reports covering Healthcare IT, Solar Energy, Wind Energy and Smart Grid. Our reports provide timely industry happenings and ahead-of-the-curve analysis specifically for C-level decision making. Mercom’s communications division helps companies and financial institutions build powerful relationships with media, analysts, local communities and strategic partners. For more information about Mercom Capital Group, visit: <a href="http://mercomcapital.com/undefined/">http://www.mercomcapital.com</a>. To receive Mercom’s popular market intelligence reports, visit: <a href="http://mercomcapital.com/market_intelligence.php">http://mercomcapital.com/market_intelligence.php</a>.

Mercom Capital Group’s India Consumer Survey Reveals Consumer Attitudes Towards Renewable Energy Sources, Impact of Power on Business

71% of consumers in India willing to pay higher rates for electricity from renewable energy sources 
According to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by Mercom Capital Group titled &#8216;India Renewable Energy Awareness Survey,&#8217; only 56% of Indian consumers have heard of &#8216;renewable energy&#8217; or &#8216;clean energy&#8217;, and only 27% of consumers have heard of &#8216;energy efficiency&#8217;. Although awareness was low, 71% of Indian consumers surveyed are willing to pay higher rates for electricity from renewable energy sources.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6334" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point.jpg" alt="" width="725" height="428" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point.jpg 725w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point-600x354.jpg 600w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point-300x177.jpg 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point-650x384.jpg 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/can-u-point-624x368.jpg 624w" sizes="(max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px" /></a>
Mercom Capital Group, a global clean energy consulting and communications firm, surveyed more than 500 commercial, residential and rural consumers in India that resulted in strong evidence that consumers are willing to pay more for uninterrupted power and the opportunity to use renewable energy.
A surprising finding was that 65% of consumers in India are willing to pay more for uninterrupted power. There is a common misconception in India that consumers will not pay more for power, which has been the driving force behind state government policies that have been reluctant to raise power prices to reflect rising costs. This has led to decreased revenue among the power utilities, huge losses, continued power cuts and lack of financial resources to invest in power projects and infrastructure.
With policies like &#8216;Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission&#8217; being implemented and renewable energy gaining importance as a future energy source in India, understanding the perceptions of consumers about renewable energy is a vital factor for these policies to succeed.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/have-u-heard.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6335" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/have-u-heard.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="304" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/have-u-heard.jpg 520w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/have-u-heard-300x175.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a>
&#8220;Policies are implemented from the top down without any input or buy-in from consumers,&#8221; commented Raj Prabhu of Mercom Capital Group. &#8220;There seems to be a general lack of education and awareness among consumers on these issues. How do you expect consumers to support and adopt renewable energy if they don&#8217;t understand what it is? Energy efficiency tends to cost a fraction compared to new supply but unless consumers are educated about these programs the adoption will be slow and ineffective.&#8221;
Some of Mercom&#8217;s survey findings included:
&#8211; When asked about benefits of renewable energy, 81% pointed out &#8216;good for environment&#8217; as a benefit, 54% said &#8216;no power cuts&#8217; and 47% said &#8216;lower energy bills&#8217; was a benefit of renewable energy.
&#8211; Solar was the most identified form of renewable energy with 92% of the consumers having heard of it, mainly due to the prevalence of solar water heaters. Only 49% of consumers had heard of wind energy.
&#8211; 82% of survey respondents overwhelmingly support renewable energy projects and 90% said government should support renewable energy.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6337" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image.jpg" alt="" width="781" height="447" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image.jpg 781w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image-600x343.jpg 600w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image-300x172.jpg 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image-768x440.jpg 768w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image-650x372.jpg 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/last-image-624x357.jpg 624w" sizes="(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px" /></a>
&#8220;Overall we found a general lack of education and understanding about renewable energy and energy efficiency,&#8221; continued Raj Prabhu of Mercom Capital Group. &#8220;For any policy or program to achieve broad success, there needs to be a sustained education and communications initiative to get the consumers&#8217; buy-in.&#8221;
A total of 509 respondents were interviewed for this survey. The survey was conducted face-to-face due to limitations of technology in some areas surveyed.
This survey was conducted in areas around Bangalore and Mysore cities. Rural areas covered: Villages of Akkihebbal, Sindhugatta, Balagatta and Vasanthapura. Residential areas covered: Bangalore &#8211; Basaveshwaranagar, Mysore &#8211; Yadavagiri, T.K. Layout, Bogadi and Bamboo Bazaar. Industrial/Commercial areas covered: Bangalore &#8211; Rajajinagar, Yeshwanthpur, Shivananda Circle, Seshadripuram and Peenya. Mysore &#8211; Hebbal, Belavadi and Metagalli.
The complete survey results are summarized in a free report available to download on Mercom Capital Groups&#8217; website at <a title="Mercom Clean Energy Reports" href="http://store.mercom.mercomcapital.com/page/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://mercomcapital.com/cleanenergyreports.php</a>.

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