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					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bjp-congress-renewables-2024-election-manifestos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ahead of the seven-phase elections to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament, starting April 17, 2024, the two major political parties</strong></a> in the fray have committed themselves to implementing a plethora of energy transition initiatives. In their manifestos, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Indian National Congress have outlined their vision for adopting renewable energy to achieve energy independence. The manifesto of the BJP, which has been governing India since 2014 and is seeking a third consecutive term, has detailed programs it plans to undertake on the renewable energy front.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mahindra-susten-wind-solar-hybrid-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Solar engineering, procurement, and construction company </strong><strong>Mahindra Susten</strong><strong>, in collaboration with the </strong><strong>Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board</strong><strong>, said it will develop</strong></a> a 150 MW hybrid renewable power project involving an investment of ₹12 billion (~$143.8 million). The project will comprise ~101 MW of wind and ~52 MW of solar capacity, the company said in a bourse filing. Scheduled for commissioning within the next two years, it will incorporate over 80% locally manufactured components. Upon completion, the project will supply clean energy to commercial and industrial customers in Maharashtra, generating around 460 million kWh of energy and offsetting nearly 420,000 tons of CO2 emissions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/solar-storage-wind-queues-as-backlog-rises" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Nearly 12,000 power projects, an overwhelming majority based on renewable sources, representing a combined capacity of 1,570 GW and 1,030 GW for storage</strong></a>, are in interconnection queues in the U.S. Renewable sources constitute 95% of the total capacity in the active queue. Over 94% or about 1,480 GW of the proposed generation capacity is zero-carbon, according to a recent Berkeley Lab report. Utilities and regional grid operators mandate that projects wishing to link to the grid must undergo a sequence of assessments before construction. This procedure determines the potential necessity for new grid system enhancements before a project can integrate into the system, estimating and allocating the associated equipment costs.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: BJP, Congress Bet Big on Renewables in Election Manifestos


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					</table><p>The U.S. Department of Energy (<a href="https://www.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOE</a>) Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office have jointly issued a request for information to gather input on a draft Transmission System Interconnection Roadmap prepared by the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) to improve interconnection practices for the bulk power system.</p>
<p>Feedback on the draft roadmap has been sought from grid operators, utilities, state and local governments, tribal governments and tribal utilities, clean energy developers, energy justice organizations, nonprofits, trade associations, and other i2X stakeholders by November 22, 2023.</p>
<p>The request for feedback comes in the context of the rapid transformation of the electric grid in the U.S., with an increasing number of interconnection requests for clean energy resources straining the existing processes for grid interconnection. Queue times to interconnect clean energy projects have been rising, delaying the deployment of new resources to the transmission grid.</p>
<p>At the end of 2022, over 2 TW of generation and storage projects in the U.S. were <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/eases-connecting-renewable-projects-grid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waiting</a> in line for interconnection. This equates to as much electricity generation capacity as all the power projects operating in the country.</p>
<p>To address these challenges, the DOE launched the i2X program last June to enable simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection of clean energy resources while enhancing the reliability, resilience, and security of the electric grid.</p>
<p>The i2X roadmap emphasizes the importance of comprehensive interconnection standards, drawing attention to the current lack of detailed generator interconnection requirements and recommending measures to maintain a reliable grid to promote economic efficiency.</p>
<p>The draft is intended to serve as a stakeholder-driven practical guide for implementing near and long-term solutions to interconnect clean energy sources and clear the existing backlog of solar, wind, and battery projects seeking to be built.</p>
<p>The proposed measures aim to attract investments in renewable energy projects and address the challenges posed by a significant increase in interconnection requests, which have tripled to quintupled, from 500-1,000 annually (2000-2010) to 2,500-3,000 per year, driven by favorable policy and economic factors.</p>
<p>The roadmap is premised on four critical goals:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Data Access and Transparency:</strong> Improving data quality and accessibility and efficient queue management to enhance the appeal of the renewable energy sector to investors.</li>
<li><strong>Process and Timing:</strong> Target backlog reduction and workforce strengthening through a first-ready-first-served cluster study process, firm deadlines, and penalties for grid operators if they fail to complete their interconnection studies on time.</li>
<li><strong>Economic Efficiency:</strong> Focusing on cost allocation and coordination enhancements to address cost allocation complexities in participant-funded transmission projects, making the renewable energy sector more appealing to investors.</li>
<li><strong>Reliable Grid:</strong> Enhancing grid reliability through improved models and standards, focusing on improving modeling accuracy and developing screening tools to ensure a reliable electricity supply and increase investment prospects in renewable energy.</li>
</ul>
<p>The roadmap prioritizes advanced information technologies for streamlined data management and reporting. It also encourages adaptable interconnection processes, including fast tracks, to maximize limited transmission capacity and expedite connections.</p>
<p>Enhanced stakeholder coordination is a core focus, with equity-driven initiatives supporting infrastructure upgrades in underserved areas. Addressing market design, regulation, and open access principles ensures fairness and efficiency.</p>
<p>Current interconnection standards, primarily from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://www.ferc.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FERC</a>), lack the needed detail.</p>
<p>During the roadmap&#8217;s development, FERC issued Order 2023 for interconnection reform, which this roadmap incorporates alongside additional ideas for long-term process evolution, fostering industry-wide discourse and maintaining relevance for non-FERC transmission providers.</p>
<p>Last month, the DOE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-strengthen-power-grid-integrate-clean-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allocated</a> $3.46 billion for 58 projects spanning 44 states to bolster the national grid, with a total investment exceeding $8 billion, targeting 35 GW of renewable energy capacity and 400 microgrids, enhancing resilience, upholding Justice40 goals, and ensuring grid reliability and affordability.</p>
<p>FERC has <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/eases-connecting-renewable-projects-grid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">streamlined</a> U.S. renewable energy project interconnections to reduce queues and improve efficiency, which is crucial given over 2 TW of projects are awaiting connection. This includes a first-ready-first-served cluster study process, firm deadlines, penalties, and advanced transmission tech adoption to enhance grid reliability and transparency.</p>
<p>In India, plans are afoot to invest ₹2.8 trillion ($34.2 billion) by 2030 in setting up an interstate transmission network to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/india-invest-%e2%82%b92-8-trillion-evacuate-renewable-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evacuate</a> renewable energy, according to K Sreekant, Chairman and Managing Director of government-owned Powergrid Corporation of India.</p>


US DOE Seeks Inputs on Transmission System Interconnection Draft Roadmap


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					</table><p>Solar, storage, and wind projects account for 95% of over 2 TW of all proposed generation capacity awaiting connection to the grid in the United States at the end of 2022, the Lawrence and Berkeley Laboratory (<a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LBL</a>) report said.</p>
<p>The average time of queued renewable projects seeking connection to the power grid increased significantly by over 40% in 2022.</p>
<p>More than 10,200 proposed clean energy projects, representing a generation capacity of 1.3 TW and 680 GW of storage projects, actively await permits for connection with the grid, piling the capacity in the interconnection queues that have kept the construction work at bay.</p>
<p>Project developers submit their proposals to utilities and regional grid operators, where the projects are assessed for new grid system upgrades that would be needed before a project can connect to the system.</p>
<p>The list of such projects wherein the developers have agreed to initiate the assessment process is known as “interconnection queues.”</p>
<p>The report collected crucial insights from seven power markets in the U.S. along with additional 35 utilities outside America and found that the proposed solar capacity of 947 GW is the largest share of generation capacity in the queues in Arizona, Texas, and California, followed by 300 GW of wind projects, mostly offshore, which await permits for interconnection.</p>
<p>The amount of offshore wind capacity in the queues totaled 113 GW by the end of 2022, which is three times more than the goal of <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-strategy-offshore-wind-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieving</a> 30 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030.</p>
<p>LBL found that between 2000 and 2017, approximately 21% of clean projects seeking connection to the grid reached commercial operations by 2022, that too with just 14% of capacity. The seven grid operators and 35 other utilities collectively represent over 85% of the power load.</p>
<p>Further, the report projects that 339 GW of projects are in the queue in the MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) region, followed by PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection) where 298 GW of projects await interconnection with the grid to commence construction.</p>
<p>Joseph Rand, lead author of the study and Energy Policy Researcher at Berkeley Lab explains, “The increasing delays and high withdrawal rates point to a major barrier for developers of these projects. The amount of solar, wind, and storage in the queues today exceeds that needed to get to 90% of U.S. electricity from zero-carbon resources by 2035.”</p>
<p>The report revealed that developer interest in electricity storage skyrocketed in recent years, with capacity in the queues reaching an estimated 670 GW last year.</p>
<p>LBL highlights that hybrids comprise 358 GW or 52% of active storage capacity followed by 457 GW or 48% of solar, and 24 GW or 8% of wind capacity.</p>
<p>Interconnection requests are now taking over 3 years to complete the requisite grid impact studies in most regions. The timeline from the initial connection request to having a fully built and operational project has increased from over 2 years for projects built in 2000-2007 to nearly 4 years.</p>
<p>Developers have proposed operationalizing 695 GW of solar projects by the end of 2025, followed by 472 GW of storage, and 145 GW of wind.</p>
<p>The report considered some impactful <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-seeks-public-feedback-transmission-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reforms</a> initiated by the U.S. administration to strengthen the country’s grid, while supporting the decarbonization efforts across sectors.</p>
<p>Last June, the U.S. government <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/us-doe-launches-i2x-initiative" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange initiative to connect more green energy to the country’s grid. The initiative is aimed at cutting the waiting period for clean energy sources in interconnection queues while lowering the grid connection rates.</p>


Renewables Dominate 2 TW of Energy Projects Awaiting Grid Connection in US

<p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="http://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MNRE</a>) has issued draft guidelines for standards regarding the technical specifications for solar grid-tied inverters. The Ministry has invited comments and inputs from the public and stakeholders by April 30, 2020.</p>
<p>Solar inverters must be tested for safety, efficiency, environmental tests, and grid inter-connection aspects to ensure their quality and reliability. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry has introduced relevant standards covering safety, efficiency, environmental, and islanding prevention measures tests for utility-interconnected photovoltaic inverters.</p>
<p>Further, to make the process of testing simple and consistent, the focus has been laid on developing an inclusive standard for photovoltaic grid-tied inverters for complete performance evaluation for grid-interactive applications for quality and reliability assurance in the Indian conditions.</p>
<p>The draft has laid out a detailed interconnection between technical specifications and requirements along with environmental test specifications. The Ministry said that the purpose of the standards is to lay down the requirements for the interconnection of PV systems and inverters to the utility distribution system.</p>
<p>The standards also provide a test procedure to evaluate utility-interconnected PV power systems that operate in parallel with the utility and for utilizing static non-islanding inverters for the conversion of DC to AC. Islanding is the condition in which a distributed generation system continues to power a location even when grid power is not available. So, an anti-islanding inverter will cease to energize a utility system that is out of its regular operation specifications after a specified amount of time.</p>
<p>The draft added that the MNRE series guidelines should be referred to for selecting the samples from a single family of inverters. In August 2019, the MNRE had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-approves-series-guidelines-solar-inverters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">approved</a> the series guidelines for grouping solar inverters. These guidelines were for conducting tests in laboratories for the implementation of quality control order that was introduced in 2017. As per the guidelines, the manufacturers will have to submit a declaration about the series of their products while submitting the samples of a particular series for testing.</p>
<p>The draft has proposed routine tests that should be performed by the manufacturer on all inverters, and a test report should be included with each inverter. These tests are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Protection against abnormal voltage</li>
<li>Protection against abnormal frequency</li>
<li>Response to utility recovery</li>
</ul>
<p>These tests assume that the equipment has met the applicable requirements of this standard and may be conducted as a factory test or performed as part of a commissioning test, the draft guidelines added.</p>
<p>For the Harmonic test, the MNRE has suggested shifting from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (<a href="https://www.ieee.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IEEE</a>) standard to the International Electrotechnical Commission (<a href="https://www.iec.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IEC</a>) standard. Solar PV systems incorporate power electronic interfaces, which generate a level of harmonics. These harmonics have a great influence on the operational efficiency and reliability of the system.</p>
<p>Regarding the grid interconnection test, the draft states that the PV system will not inject DC higher than 0.5% of the continuous maximum rated inverter output current into the utility interface when tested at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of rated output power.</p>
<p>“The requirement is not applicable for an inverter that interconnects through a line frequency isolation transformer located between the output of the inverter and the utility system,” the MNRE added.</p>
<p>Regarding the grid management, the MNRE has suggested that the PV system, which is connected to the low voltage (LV) and medium voltage (MV) lines, will be capable of remaining connected to the grid during low and high voltage conditions.</p>
<p>Previously, Mercom has <a href="https://mercomindia.com/confusion-bis-certification-inverters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">written</a> about the struggles of inverter manufacturers in gaining clarity on the ambiguous BIS certification process. The unavailability of labs, lack of testing facilities and workforce, unreasonable costs of testing, absence of series guidelines, and confusion regarding MNRE notifications were some of the issues that have made the compliance of the order “<em>Solar Photovoltaics Systems, Devices and Component Goods Order 2017”</em> extremely difficult. Through several interviews with inverter suppliers, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-quality-tests-good-fronius-india-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found</a> out that the cost of BIS certification is also a cause of concern for the inverter suppliers apart from the time-taking process.</p>
<p>In January 2020, the Ministry <a href="https://mercomindia.com/new-deadline-bis-certification-solar-inverters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> a notification extending the deadline for the self-certification of solar inverters by six months from December 31, 2019, to June 30, 2020. Realizing the need for quality components in solar projects, the government had mandated that laboratories must conduct the tests for compulsory registration with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for the implementation of the quality order. Considering various issues related to testing fees, and the lack of test labs available, the industry has been seeking more time for compliance since the introduction of the policy.</p>


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