Lok Sabha Question No. 104 (STARRED), answered on 2016-03-03
Subject: Research and Development in Solar Energy
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL, RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION NO. 104 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.03.2016

## RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN SOLAR ENERGY

## *104.  SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL: SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK:

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether the cost of solar power generation is much higher than thermal power, hydel power etc. in the country:
- (b) If  so,  the  details  thereof  indicating  the  per  unit  production  cost  of  energy generated from various sources of energy including solar energy:
- (c) The  expenditure  incurred  by  the  Government  in  the  research  and  development activities in the solar energy sector during the last three years and the current year:
- (d) The major achievements made by Indian scientists in the solar energy sector; and
- (e) The steps taken/being taken by the Government to reduce the production cost of solar power?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  POWER,  COAL  &  NEW  AND  RENEWABLE ENERGY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a),(b),(c),(d)&(e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRRED QUESTION NO. 104 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.03.2016

(a)& (b): No, Madam.

The  cost  of  energy  keeps  changing  from  State  to  State  depending  on technology,  location  of  power  plants  and  availability  of  resources.  Solar  power  is being procured through open tenders and e-bidding. Lowest tariff obtained till date is Rs. 4.34/kWh

As  per  CERC  Annual  Report  2014-15,  the  tariff  for  various  categories  of Central Generating Stations, under the regulated tariff regime, as on 31.3.2015, is as given below:

|   S.No. | Type of Generating stations                 | Minimum Total Tariff (Rs./kWh)   |   Maximum Total Tariff (Rs./kWh) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|       1 | Pit head coal based station                 | 1.58                             |                             3.65 |
|       2 | Non-Pithead coal based station              | 3.32                             |                             5.53 |
|       3 | Lignite based generating Stations           | 2.83                             |                             3.81 |
|       4 | Gas Station Using Natural Gas as Fuel (APM) | 4.07                             |                             4.73 |
|       5 | Gas Station Using NAPM Gas as Fuel          | 4.40                             |                             4.56 |
|       6 | Gas Station Using LNG as Fuel               | 10.24                            |                            12.01 |
|       7 | Lignite based generating Stations           | 2.83                             |                             3.81 |
|       8 | Hydro Stations                              | 0.78                             |                             7.72 |
|       9 | Wind Energy                                 | 3.67                             |                             5.87 |
|      10 | Solar PV (FY 2015-16)                       | -                                |                             7.04 |
|      11 | Solar Thermal (FY 2015-16)                  | -                                |                            12.05 |
|      12 | Biomass Gasifier Power Project(FY 2015-16)  | 6.59                             |                             7.52 |

(c) The expenditure incurred by the Government in the research and development activities in the solar energy sector during the last three years and the current year is given below:

By Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE):

|   S. No. | Year    |   Revised Expenditure (RE) (Rs. in crores) | Actual Expenditure (Rs. in crores)   |
|----------|---------|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2012-13 |                                       47.5 | 47.50                                |
|        2 | 2013-14 |                                       54.8 | 54.80                                |
|        3 | 2014-15 |                                       44.8 | 44.80                                |
|        4 | 2015-16 |                                       33.9 | 33.25 (till 26 th Feb 2016)          |

By Department of Science and Technology (DST):-

| Year                          |   Expenditure (Rs. in crore) |
|-------------------------------|------------------------------|
| 2012-2013                     |                        23.92 |
| 2013-2014                     |                        40.73 |
| 2014-2015                     |                        39.51 |
| 2015-2016 (up to 16 Feb 2016) |                        38.06 |

(d): Indian Scientists have played key role in advancement of solar technology in India as well as in leading Laboratories abroad. Some importantachievements of the R&D projects of the MNRE are given below:

-  Crystallinesilicon solar cell with 18% efficiency has been developed by National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay . Solar inverters of various capacities have also been developed.
-  IIT Kanpur has developed organic solar cell
-  Amrita  University,  Keralahas  fabricated  Dye  Sensitized  Solar  Cell  (DSSC) modules and storage integrated solar panels made for hand held device.
-  World  Renewal  Spiritual  Trust,  Mumbai  has  developed  wrought  iron  thermal storage which is now integrating with 1 MW capacity solar thermal power plant with 16-hour thermal storage at Mount Abu.
-  IGNOU Community College, Kolkatahas  installed  an  innovative  floating  solar power plant of 10 KWp capacity.

The achievements under DST programme are given below:

-  The virtual centre,  Solar  Energy  Research Institute for India  and  the  United States (SERIIUS)  co-led by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been   established  in   January  2013,  for  the  Sustainable  PV,  Multi-scale Concentrated Solar Power, and Solar Energy Research. About 160 scientists, technologists, and engineers from India and the U.S are working on different themes.
-  Scientists  at  Bharat  Heavy  Electricals  Limited  (BHEL)  -  Amorphous  Silicon Solar Cell Plant (ASSCP), Gurgaon, Haryana have developed high efficiency solar cells by optimizing various process steps using new front metal contact pastes adopting standard manufacturing steps without introducing any additional process steps   through shallow emitter technology.
-  Development, Integration, Installation and Operation of 200 kW  Solar Biomass Power test bed at Shive village in Maharashtra has been completed. This  demonstrates  concentrated  solar  thermal-biomass  for  a  distributed decentralized (grid & off grid) application for an Indian village.

-  Indian scientists from KGDS Renewable Energy Private Limited (KGDS) and National  Institute  of  Ocean  Technology  (NIOT)  have  demonstrated  the capability of Design, Fabrication, Testing and Installation of Solar Multi-Effect Distillation System for providing potable water in arid rural areas. This system was successfully commissioned in February 2013 in the Narippaiyur village of Ramanathapuram  district,  Tamil  Nadu,  a  rain  shadow  area  with  acute shortage of water.

Besides these, Scientists have written several papers and made presentations in international seminars.

(e): The Government is taking the following major steps to reduce the production cost of solar power in the country:

- i. Fiscal  and  financial  incentives  in  the  form  of  accelerated  depreciation, concessional/ customs and excise duties, preferential tariffs and generation based  incentives  are  being  provided  to  improve  viability  of  solar  power generation units.
- ii. 33 Solar Parks are sanctioned in various parts of the country to achieve cost reductions  of  solar  power  generation  through  economies  of  scale  and combined power evacuation facility.
- iii. Procurement of solar power by financially strong intermediaries like NTPC.
- iv. Long  term  vision  and  stable  policy  framework  so  that  investors  can  plan better for investment.
- v. Transparent  E-reverse  auction  for  procurement  of  solar  power,  which  has already resulted in a price point of Rs. 4.34 /Kwh, almost at grid parity with the conventional sources of electricity.
- vi. No wheeling charges for Inter State Transmission of the solar power.

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