The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) has issued a tender for 50 MW of rooftop solar projects under the RESCO model.

The scope of work under this tender would include the design, supply, erection, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance for 25 years of the grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects on state government buildings. Bidders are expected to quote a levelized fixed tariff for the entire term of the power purchase agreement.

According to the tender documents, bidders would have to bid for a capacity of 8 MW only. Successful bidders would enter into power purchase agreements for 25 years with the respective entities or building owners. Further, the tender allows for the allocation of projects to only eight successful bidders. The lowest (L1) bidder would be allocated 8 MW, and the remaining seven would be allocated 6 MW each.

The scheduled commercial operation date of these projects would commence four months after the issuance of the letter of award.

Rooftop project developers will be responsible for the synchronization of the project with licensee’s network under the state’s regulations for net metering for rooftop and small solar systems issued by the RERC.

Bid security for this tender is set at ₹900,000 ($12,519)/MW.

The pre-bid meeting for this tender will take place on September 13, 2019, and the last date for the submission of bids is October 3, 2019.

Since there is no subsidy provided for these projects, the developers are allowed to choose modules made in India or imported. The modules need to meet the certifications as prescribed by MNRE.

Rajasthan has installed solar capacity of 3.5 GW as of Q2 2019, according to Mercom India Solar Project Tracker.  A total of 442 MW of solar projects are under development in the state.

Recently states are issuing tenders for rooftop solar atop government buildings. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy (UPNEDA) issued a tender for 16 MW of grid-interactive rooftop solar projects for captive use atop various government buildings across the state. Mercom had also reported that UPNEDA had announced a tender to install 25 MW grid-connected rooftop solar projects atop government and semi-government buildings in the state under the RESCO model.

In August, the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) issued tender to install and commission 2 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects at several government buildings in the capital city of Jaipur.

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.