The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has once again extended the bid submission deadline for 97.5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects from April 16 to April 30, 2019. The techno-commercial bids will open on May 1, 2019.

This is the third bid extension deadline for the tender for 97.5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects for government buildings in different states and union territories under CAPEX or RESCO model.

SECI had earlier extended the bid submission deadline for this project from March 27, 2019, to April 11, 2019, and again to April 16, 2019.

SECI had issued the Request for Selection (RfS) for the implementation of 97.5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects in February 2019.

The total capacity of 97.5 MW is divided into three categories. The first category is for 10 MW comprising CAPEX Model (Part-A), the second is 85 MW consisting of RESCO Model (Part-B), and third is 2.5 MW comprising CAPEX Model (Part-C).

Under Part-A, a bidder can apply for a minimum aggregate capacity of 100 kW and the maximum aggregate capacity of 1 MW. Under Part-B, a bidder can apply for the minimum aggregate bid capacity of 1 MW and a maximum aggregate bid capacity of 10 MW. Any bidder eligible for participation in either Part–A or Part-B, is not allowed to participate in Part- C.

The bidding will be split into two categories – General State category and Special State category. There will be only one price for all the bidders in CAPEX Model (and for RESCO Model).

The size of each project will be in the range from 1 kW to 500 kW under Part-A and B and 1 kW to 25 kW for Part-C.

The ceiling tariff for general category states and union territories is ₹3.50 ($0.049)/kWh and for special category states and islands is ₹3.50 ($0.049)/kWh.

Recently, SECI also extended the solar PV tender coupled with manufacturing component for the second time.

According to Mercom India Research’s newly released India Solar Market Leaderboard 2019 report, CleanMax Solar has emerged as the top rooftop solar installer in 2018 followed by Fourth Partner Energy, whereas Tata Power still has the largest cumulative installations in the solar rooftop segment.