Misaligned mirrors cause fire at world's largest solar power plant in California

A small fire shut down a generating tower Thursday at the world's largest solar power plant, leaving the sprawling facility on the California-Nevada border operating at only a third of its capacity, authorities said.

Firefighters had to climb some 300 feet up a boiler tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California after fire was reported on an upper level around 9:30 a.m., fire officials said.

The plant works by using mirrors to focus sunlight on boilers at the top of three 459-foot towers, creating steam that drive turbines to produce electricity.

But some misaligned mirrors instead focused sunbeams on a different level of Unit 3, causing electrical cables to catch fire, San Bernardino County, California fire Capt. Mike McClintock said.

David Knox, spokesman for plant operator NRG Energy, said it was too early to comment on the cause, which was under investigation.

The fire was located about two-thirds of the way up the tower, said Jeff Buchanan of Nevada's Clark County Fire Department, which also responded to the blaze.

Plant personnel had the fire out by the time firefighters reached the spot, and it was officially declared out in about 20 minutes.

Photos showed melted and scorched steam ducts and water pipes.

Knox said the tower was offline while crews assess the damage. He could not immediately say when it would restart.

The plant can produce enough power for 140,000 California homes, but a second tower is shut down for maintenance, leaving only one running.

It was not immediately clear what impact that would have on California's electricity supply.

It was the first fire at the plant, which opened two years ago on federal land in the Mojave Desert about 45 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

The $2.2 billion complex has nearly 350,000 computer controlled mirrors _ each roughly the size of a garage door _ that sprawl over roughly five square miles of desert.


Experts View:

It shows that the solar plant also requires proper operation and maintenance to work efficiently. However solar concentrated solar PV requires more maintenance as it includes boiler than solar PV. The worlds largest solar plant of 750 MW in India is under process which will take over California plant after some months/years.

Power transmission losses rise in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board's (TNEB) transmission and distribution losses have gone northward over the past four years, a reply to an RTI query revealed.

The unwelcome losses have taken place even as the demand for power in the state has hit an all-time high of 15,000MW.

In response to an RTI filed by OnlineRTI.com, TNEB said it lost 17,538.83 million units (MU) in 2011-12 and 20,966.74MU in 2014-15. The transmission losses were mainly on account of leaks and inefficient transmission and distribution of power.

Though TNEB has one of the lowest transmission losses in the country it still loses crores of rupees in the process. According to the RTI reply, the board lost a total of 79,037.76MU of power in transmission since 2011.

TNEB's debt by the 2015-16 fiscal was around Rs 80,000 crore. A TNEB official said transmission losses are minimal when compared to total power generated.

"For instance, TNEB's energy generation has increased from 75,818MU in 2011-12 to 94,128 MU in 2014-15 so there has definitely been a rise in transmission losses compared to the previous years, which is not unusual," he said.

The RTI reply, however, said there is a shortfall between energy generated and energy sold by TNEB. This is probably because more than 20 lakh farm power connections across the state do not have meters and there are innumerable instances of power theft by households, commercial establishments and political parties.

Another TNEB official said the board has added more substations to reduce transmission losses.

"We are also strengthening distribution lines and replacement of defective meters," he said. "To reduce the transmission losses, we have commissioned 252 substations across the state since 2011."

There are more than 1,300 substations across the state and in Chennai there 50-plus. Officials say space constraints do not allow them to set up additional substations in the city. A 230KV substation, for instance, requires a 10-acre site, an 110KV substation, a 5-acre site, and a 33 KV substation, a 2-acre site.

S Gandhi, of the Power Engineers Society of TN, says national average of transmission and distribution losses in the country is 26%. "Developed countries have reduced losses to less than 10%. TNEB has not done much to reduce the transmission and distribution losses."

Experts Comment:

As we know that TN is still not involved in UDAY scheme.The govt.of TN should take steps to reduce such losses. The discom of TN has huge debt which should be minimized.

Metro to generate solar power from station rooftops

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has made plans to generate 20MW of solar energy from the rooftops of its stations and office buildings by the end of 2017. While this is a fraction of the total consumption of 148MW, it is expected to take care of several power requirements at stations.

DMRC will also be able to keep a tab in real time on how much solar energy its rooftop projects are generating, what is the consumption and how much excess solar energy is being sent to the grid through a web portal. It can also track the changes in generation due to weather conditions.

The web portal is one of DMRC's plans to expand its renewable energy generation over the next few years. Though the portal is for internal use now, it will be made public later, officials said.

Officials at the national conference on 'Green Metro Systems' at Metro Bhawan on Friday said the stations are currently generating about 7MW. "About 30-40% of our total operational expenditure is on power. There is enough reason for us to move to renewable energy. DMRC consumes about 3% of Delhi's total energy," said an official.

The on-ground stations can meet most of their energy needs with solar, but the underground stations need about 1.2MW each for lighting and other needs.

Mangu Singh, DMRC's managing director, stressed on the importance of adopting green technologies. "We are continuously striving to make Delhi Metro more energy efficient. Its power consumption can be reduced further with better engineering practices, sleek design, recycle and reuse," he said.


Experts Comment:

This is good initiative by DMRC.As in article it is discussed that 3% of electricity consumption is by DMRC.

By becoming self sufficient,it will surely help the capital of India. Also, DMRC has made long term PPA with upcoming India's largest solar plant in Madhyapradesh.

It will also help to achieve Solar target of 100 GW.

Delhi's power demand rises to 6044 MW, a new record

Delhi's power demand today broke all previous records, breaching the 6,000 MW mark for the first time, even as residents across several areas of the megapolis sweated out owing to outages in the midst of a tormenting heat wave.

The State Load Despatch Centre recorded the maximum power load of 6,044 MW at 3.36 PM, earlier at 2.34 PM the electricity demand peaked at 6,011 MW. As compared to last year, the rise totals to an increase of over 20 per cent.

The previous record was logged on July 11, 2014 when consumption had touched 5,925 MW. Authorities urged residents to stop using non-important power guzzling appliances during peak hours.

The state-run Delhi Transco Limited (DTL) said demand of power has gone unpredictably high in the last few days and stated that non payment of dues by BRPL and BYPL was hampering operations and maintenance activities.

People took to social media in venting out their frustration as various areas of the city, especially its western, northern and eastern parts, suffered power cuts ranging from one to five hours.

Due to a snag with DTL's Bamnauli-Pappakalan 220 KV transmission line for a couple of hours, power supply in parts of West Delhi, including Dwarka and Uttam Nagar was impacted, power officials said.

Although DTL put the onus on the discoms saying it is getting its legitimate dues (over Rs 2,000 crores) which have been duly approved by Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The other areas that suffered outages include Khajuri Khas, Sangam Vihar, Najafgarh and Nizamuddin among others.

"I am at Dwarka where there is a 2 hour power cut daily. Sir please save us from power cuts every night. Power is a basic requirement," Shashwat Sharma, a Dwarka resident tweeted tagging Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Akhil Saroch, a resident of South Delhi's Dakshinpuri said there was a blackout for around three hours.

Officials said that the demand may go up further in July when coolers will be rendered ineffective in the wake of rising humidity levels and air-conditioners will be switched on across houses and establishments.

"Another important point for outages is that due to extreme heat and power demand round the clock for the past few days, electricity network is not getting sufficient time to cool down. This can stress the network and at times, increase faults," a discom official said.

Experts Comment:

This is the situation of capital of India. The debt of BSES and rising heat are the main reason of such outages.

The Government should plan in such a way that in future such condition doesn't arise.

Draft Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Open Access in inter-State Transmission) (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2016

Amendment of Regulation 17 of the Principal Regulations: Clause (2)of Regulation 17 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted as under:-

In case of collective transaction, NLDC operating charges shall be payable by each of the successful buyers and sellers on the basis of its energy scheduled (MWh) at regional periphery by NLDC for transactions in the respective power exchange. The NLDC operating charges collected by the power exchanges shall be transferred to NLDC on a daily basis. The rate of NLDC operating charges shall be Rs 1/MWh for collective transactions. NLDC operating charges payable by each of the successful buyer and seller in case of collective transaction, for a day, shall be capped to a maximum ceiling of Rs 200 per day per entity.

Beas has world's largest 11.5-MW rooftop solar plant

Touted to be the largest of its kind in the world, an 11.5-MW rooftop solar power plant was inaugurated by Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh (the Radha Soami sect headquarters at Beas), 45km from Amritsar, on Tuesday.

The CM dedicated the the state-of-the-art project installed by Radha Soami Satsang Beas Educational and Environmental Society (RSSBEES), in technical collaboration with Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), to the nation. He said it would go a long way to motivate other states to replicate such projects for producing clean and green energy.

Highlighting the significance of the Rs 139-crore project, Punjab renewable energy minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the plant has enormous environmental benefits and would be instrumental in bringing down 4 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the next 25 years, which was equivalent to planting nearly 2 lakh trees. He said the project would generate energy sufficient to power approximately 8,000 homes.

"Besides," he said, "this project would also go a long way in creating awareness about eco-friendly solar power among the general public, as one crore devotees visit the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh annually."

PEDA director Balour Singh informed that 11.5 MW solar plant is installed on nearly 42 acres of rooftop of open shed meant for 'sangat' (followers). He informed that it took nearly six months to make the world record. "There are other several 5MW rooftop plants in various countries, including USA and China but this is the largest one that produces 11.5MW electricity," he said.

He informed that there were other solar plants in the Dera complex producing 8 MW electricity on seven roofs, thus making a total installed capacity of 19.5MW spread over 82 acres.


Experts Comment:


Solar rooftop can help to achieve ambitious target of 100 GW by 2022.
There is vast potential of solar power in India,which can be harnessed easily by using more and more of solar rooftop.
Government should make it compulsory for schools,hospitals and other commercial buildings to install solar rooftop such that it will help the sector to grow at much faster pace.

High-yield UDAY bonds find many takers in cash-rich institutions like Kotak MF, LIC and others

For those who had doubts about who would buy the state-backed bonds sold in lieu of loan of cash-strapped state electricity boards, the answer is — Kotak Mutual Fund, Reliance Mutual Fund, UTI MF and the Life Insurance Corp of India, among a dozen investors.

Many mutual funds and the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation which are flush with funds and are looking at long-term investment opportunities gobbled up these bonds which yield about a percentage point more than government bonds.

The bonds backed by the state governments such as Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Punjab and Haryana yield about 30-40 basis points more than the states' own securities despite the fact that both of them carry equal credit risk.

"UDAY bond rates were quite attractive with little chance for default. It is a prudent investment," said one fund manager who did not wish to be named.

Institutional investors could not be contacted for comments.

For example, the Reserve Bank of India sold Jharkhand bonds worth of Rs 5,000 crore, and EPFO alone grabbed about Rs 1,500-2,000 crore of the lot.

The central government and the Reserve Bank of India in consultation with the banks came up with the structure of state-backed bonds. These state-run power distribution companies together owed Rs 4 lakh crore to banks. This could also help these distribution firms restart on a clean slate to buy more power and supply at commercial rates to their customers.

Since Monday, the Reserve Bank of India had opened a subscription window that allowed investors to buy those securities through the private placement route. Those bonds are of different maturities ranging from three to 15-16 years. Rates were in the range of 8.30-8.53 per cent.

So far, Rs 30,000 crore UDAY bonds have been sold either via RBI's private placement or respective state governments selling it directly to investors.

GMR divests 30% in energy assets

Bengaluru-based GMR Group will disinvest 30 per cent in its 10 energy assets to a Malaysian power utility for $300 million (Rs 2,000 crore).

The management committee of GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) on Monday approved the primary capital investment by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Tenaga) in GMR EnergyLimited (GEL).

The Malaysian power giant would have the right to invest in other assets, including the Chhattisgarh power plant, Indonesian power assets and others at any time within the next five years. The group was awarded Ganeshpur coal block for the 1,370-megawatt (Mw) Chhattisgarh power plant in e-auction last year.

Tenaga will also appoint their executives in the senior management of GMR Energy during the development and operation stage of the projects it has picked up stakes in.




The sale proceeds would be used for retiring Rs 2,000-crore debt of GMR Energy. “This would save the company Rs 250 crore in interest cost, annually. The group currently has consolidated debt of Rs 6,375 crore,” said G B S Raju, chairman, GMR Energy. With corporate debt reduced, the group would now need to focus on operationalising their power projects, said an associate director with a Mumbai-based brokerage who did not want to be named.

In December, GMR Infrastructure raised another Rs 2,000 crore from Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) which was the largest bilateral investment between India and the West Asian country in recent times. The Kuwaiti authority subscribed to GMR’s 60-year-long Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (FCCB) due 2075.

The group has been following an asset-light strategy and has been on a capex holiday, except for select opportunities in the airport sector, for the past few years.

In the past few years, it has divested five assets releasing Rs 3,800 crore equity and reducing liabilities by Rs 6,200 crore.

Tenaga is the largest power utility player in Malaysia with a presence across the value chain of power generation, transmission and distribution.

It has an installed capacity of 10,818 Mw and 50 per cent market share of the Malaysian grid’s generation capacity, it also has the backing of the Malaysian government. The company has experience in managing and operating power assets with several thermal power plants, large hydro plants, power distribution business and supporting O&M of independent power producers all over Southeast Asia, South Asia and Turkey.




“Through this partnership, GMR Group is bringing a world-class power developer and operator in the Indian market. Tenaga’s experience would further facilitate GEL in improving the performance of its operational assets and develop it’s under development pipeline of hydro & renewable energy assets,” the company said.

GEL manages a portfolio of coal-based, gas-based and renewable (hydro & solar) power projects, of 4,630 Mw. This portfolio would have an operating capacity of 2,300 Mw and pipeline capacity of 2,330 Mw.

G M Rao, group chairman, GMR Group, said: “India’s substantial and sustained economic growth will require collaboration from all stakeholders in the power sector. We believe our partnership with a major power sector player like Tenaga is one of the steps to implement the Prime Minister’s vision.”

Gujarat government to kick-start solar rooftop project for citizens

With an aim of scaling up the present solar power generation in Gujarat, the state government is now all set to launch its much awaited project of grid-connected rooftop solar power units, wherein residential property owners will be encouraged to install this new system.

The Solar Rooftop project was initiated by Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), which is the state nodal agency to promote renewable energy.

In the current fiscal of 2016-17, GEDA has set a target of generating 50 megawatt (MW) of electricity by installing such rooftop solar photovoltic (SPV) units across Gujarat.

According to GEDA Director J T Akhani, the rooftop solar project is for residential consumers only.

"There are several residents who have already installed solar power generation units on their rooftops. However, they are off-grid, as they are not connected with the electricity meter. This project is for those residential property owners who wish to connect their power units with the electricity grid," said Akhani.

"This project of grid-connected units has been proposed in the Gujarat Solar Power Policy, announced by state government in August 2015. This year, we are planning to install units having capacity of 50 MW. The installations will be done by our channel partners, saving time and energy of consumers in finding right contractor" said Akhani.

According to him, the project of installing rooftop solar units would kick start once the identification of residential consumers as well as channel partners gets completed within couple of months.

Till now, more than 150 residential property owners have already submitted their applications to GEDA for the installation of such solar units on their rooftops, he said.

"Though the rooftop project has been given a go ahead in the solar policy of 2015, the project did not gain momentum, mainly due to the cost involved in setting up such units. Thus, we have chalked out a subsidy plan to encourage people as well as channel partners to come forward," said Akhani.

"Normally, the cost of setting up a unit having ONE kilowatt load capacity comes around Rs 70,000. Thus, we have decided to give Rs 10,000 subsidy for commissioning a unit of 1 Kw. The subsidy is limited to the installation of 2KW, that is Rs 20,000. Additional units will not be eligible for subsidy," said Akhani.

To expedite the work, starting from receiving application to certifying the work done by channel partners, GEDA has also planned to set up a special cell to give various clearances.

"To meet our target of 50mw this year, we will engage in publicity drive to invite applications from citizens as well as channel partners. We are also planning to set up a special cell to co-ordinate between applicant, channel partner and distribution companies(DISCOMS)," said Akhani.

Apart from reducing load on conventional energy sources, such as coal-based power plants, the scheme would also benefit consumers, as they can actually reduce their electricity bill by almost half, said Akhani.

"Normally, the sanctioned load provided by electricity companies to a private consumer is around 6Kw. Thus, if he installs units having 3Kw capacity, his electricity bill would be reduced by 50 per cent. Since its grid-connected, the difference will be adjusted by the DISCOMS through the net metering system," said Akhani.

PTC bags maximum power supply orders to Uttarakhand and Kerala state utilities in short term power procurement auction

PTC India has bagged the largest number of power supply orders at competitive rates to Uttarakhand and Kerala state utilities at a recently concluded short term power procurement auction.





It offered 9 bids from different sources to Uttarakhand and three bids to Kerala over an electronic bidding and reverse auction conducted on a new portal.

The portal, christened Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price e-Bidding & e-Reverse Auction portal was launched in April for procurement of short term power by utilities. It is a single platform for all utilities willing to procure power on short-term open access contracts through electronic competitive bidding and reverse auction.

PTC was the sole successful bidder for Kerala. It will supply 100 MW -- the entire requisitioned quantum by Kerala State Electricity Board during peak hours and 50 MW during non-peak hours.

In Uttarakhand, PTC bagged the contract for more than half the quantum as awarded by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd. It will supply during evening peak and an additional 150 MW round the clock.

"Consumers will benefit from competitively procured power supplied by PTC, especially during summer peak demand periods" said Deepak Amitabh- CMD, PTC India.


Experts Comment:

The introduction of providing online platform for short term will help to bring transparency. PTC has always been in top in short term power market in India. There will be not much difficulty to find buyers and sellers as it will bring at same platform. With such initiatives,the growth of short term will be more efficient in future.