At the ongoing Mercom India Renewables Summit 2024 in New Delhi, Mercom India announced the winners of the fourth annual Mercom India Awards. These prestigious awards honor the exceptional contributions of organizations that are propelling India’s clean energy transition and championing the country’s environmental goals through remarkable innovation and visionary leadership.

The awards recognize each project’s uniqueness, challenges, and complexities and their economic and environmental impacts.

Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi presented the awards to the winners.

In his address, Joshi spoke of the government’s emphasis on boosting renewable energy, reflected in its various initiatives and the announcements for the sector in the recent Budget 2024.

Prioritizing energy storage, making available free electricity to 10 million households as part of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and the announcement regarding the formulation of policy for pumped hydro storage for higher integration of renewable energy were among the initiatives the minister referred to.

He said nearly 151 GW of renewable power projects are currently being implemented, and 76.42 GW will be operationalized in 3-4 years.

Joshi applauded Mercom India for bringing together all the renewable energy stakeholders under one platform to discuss issues concerning the industry.

The fourth annual Mercom India Award winners are:

SJVN Green Energy was declared the winner in the Best Large-Scale Solar Project category for its 75 MW Gurhah Solar Power Project in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh. This project achieved a capacity utilization factor of 24.3% and is expected to reduce 180,116 tons of carbon emissions over 25 years. Developed in the economically backward Bundelkhand region, it also generated employment for locals during construction, operation, and maintenance.

Prozeal Green Energy was declared the winner in the Best Commercial and Industrial (Ground-Mount) Project category for its 66 MW Solar Power Project in Ottapidaram, Tamil Nadu. Prozeal completed the project in seven months, including land development and 110 kV transmission infrastructure to connect to the nearest Ottapidaram Substation. Additionally, they developed a state-of-the-art Combined Pooling Substation operating at 33/110 kV, featuring superior quality and safety standards. The project provides power supply to diverse clients and trades.

Enerparc Energy was declared the winner in the Commercial and Industrial Project (Rooftop) category for its 2.7 MW rooftop solar project. The project was built on top of a five-story building in just two and a half months, navigating various challenges, such as working on a densely populated rooftop project site. Underlining sustainable practices, Enerparc’s advanced robotic cleaning technology for solar modules resulted in a 50-80% reduction in water consumption.

Ciel & Terre Solar won the award for the Best Engineered Project for its 10.765 MW floating solar project. Team Ciel & Terre installed the project on sub-bottom soil using their innovative Dead Weight Anchoring method. Enormous concrete blocks were prepared and deployed in the water to provide stability. The innovative engineering methods led to efficient space utilization, helping preserve the environment.

AMPIN Energy Transition bagged the Best Floating Solar Project award for its 140 MW floating solar project in Omkareshwar Dam, Madhya Pradesh. This is India’s first and largest floating solar project, funded by an independent power producer. It was commissioned in a record 12 months. The floating solar project is projected to generate approximately 198 million units annually and mitigate approximately 85,654 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Maxvolt Solar was declared the winner in the Best Residential Project category for its 195 kW rooftop solar project at Mahindra Bloomdale Co-Op Housing Society. This is the largest residential rooftop solar project in central India. Under the MNRE subsidy program, the society received a subsidy of ₹1.45 million (~$17,330), making this transition to solar power both environmentally conscious and financially viable.

Husk Power Systems won the Best Off-Grid Project award for its solar-powered mini-grid in the Nawada district of Bihar. The project has replaced over 22 diesel generators and provides 100% renewable and reliable electricity to 80+ rural micro, small, and medium enterprises, with an average of 30% savings on energy bills. It has commissioned 31.5 KW, and its uniqueness lies in its deployment of predictive AI and AI-powered algorithms to forecast demand and supply accurately, ensuring the lowest cost delivery at any given time.

CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions was declared the Best Hybrid Project category winner for its 194.7 MW wind and 159 MW solar project. Cleanmax Enviro’s Babra project spanned approximately 900 square kilometers and included an extensive transmission line network of more than 200 kilometers. It was designed to deliver state-of-the-art power generation for high-profile commercial and industrial customers. The entire project was delivered within a remarkable timeframe of just one and a half years.

Refex Renewables & Infrastructure and Sunsource Energy won in the Best Standalone Storage Project category.

Refex Renewables commissioned a 1 MW Solar with 2 MWh battery energy storage system in Siachen’s challenging weather and terrain. Constructed under severe working conditions, with temperatures ranging from 10 degrees Celsius to -40 degrees Celsius and at an altitude of 11,713 feet, the system is designed to withstand altitude deration factors. It has an intelligent controller that manages solar, battery energy storage systems, and diesel generators.

Sunsource Energy commissioned 1.7 MW solar plus 1.4 MWh battery storage on the islands of Agatti and Kavaratti. It is one of India’s first solar projects with a cutting-edge battery energy storage system for island electrification. Over its lifetime, the project is expected to generate commercial savings of approximately ₹2.5 billion (~$29.88 million) for the island community. More importantly, it will reduce diesel consumption by up to 19 million liters, offsetting up to 58,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Adani Green Energy won under the category of the Best Wind Project for its 130 MW project in the uneven region of Nakhatrana of Kutch district in Gujarat. The project braved COVID-19, the Biparjoy cyclone, and monsoon seasons. Additionally, it was a challenging site for execution, considering a mix of government revenue land and private land with right-of-way issues during the execution of the approach. A 33kV line of approximately 119 circuit kilometers was constructed, considering all the environmental restrictions for the Great Indian Bustard region.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution won the Best Innovation (Product) category. With the continuous expansion of grid infrastructure and the increasing number of relays across sub-stations, maintaining the testing schedule with the available commercial testing kits, which average around ₹100,000 (~$1,195) each, makes them expensive for extensive use. Tata Power DDL’s in-house relay testing kit introduced a cost-effective solution, priced at approximately ₹5,000 (~$59)/ kWh, significantly reducing the financial burden and successfully streamlining the maintenance process.

SJVN Green Energy won the Deal of the Year (Financial) award. SJVN Green Energy secured a ₹100 billion (~$1.19 billion) construction finance facility from a group of leading domestic and international lenders to fund its upcoming renewable power projects. This is a unique and first-of-its-kind transaction undertaken by a PSU entity and Public Sector Banks.

Adani Green Energy was announced as the Deal of the Year (Strategic) category winner. Adani Green Energy transferred 1,050 MW of renewable energy portfolio to a joint venture between Total Energies. As part of the JV, Total Energies will acquire a 50% stake in the projects.