PV-Rooftop Business Roundtable

“The Indian rooftop market is the next big driver of the country’s energy transition. Rooftop photovoltaic supports self-sufficient energy supply, stimulates equity and involves civil participation creating ownership for the energy transition” said Mr. Joerg Mayer, Managing Director of German Solar Association (BSWSolar), who chaired a business roundtable on Photovoltaic Rooftop Development in India.

Mr. Mayer chaired a business roundtable on Photovoltaic Rooftop Development in India on 1st June 2017 at the international trade fair Intersolar Europe 2017 in Munich, Germany. European and Indian companies discussed the opportunities and challenges of this market segment.

As per the Global Market Outlook for Solar Power, rooftop photovoltaic represents more than 40 % of the worldwide investment in solar energy. In India this market segment accounts for around 10 % but is growing rapidly in the commercial, industrial and governmental sector said Mr. Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director from Indian consultancy firm Bridge to India. As per the last renewable energy country attractiveness index by Ernst and Young, India is now rated the 2nd most attractive market in solar energy worldwide. Amongst the 221 participants an Indian delegation of 46 cricket stadium operators, business representatives from the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and officials from Government of India led by Dr. Ashvini Kumar, Managing Director of Solar Cooperation of India (SECI) and Mr. Mathew, Vice President of BCCI as well as Bruce Douglas, Chairman of Global Solar Council, actively participated in this business roundtable.

During a pitch session hosted by Mr. Tobias Winter, Director of Indo-German Energy Forum Support Offices in India and Germany, financial institutions, cricket associations, solar project developers and private industry players were invited to present themselves in order discuss future collaborative opportunities. Indian solar rooftop business leaders such Mr. Kuldeep Jain, Managing Director of CleanMax Solar, Mr. Ashish Khanna, CEO from Tata Power Solar Systems and Frank Polhaus, Director of Abakus Solar gave insights into the perspective of private companies on this promising but challenging market and discussed with technical experts from German National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB), Mr. Niels Ferdinand, Dr. Jürgen Welschof, Head of Energy Division South Asia from KfW Development Bank and Mr. Pranav Mehta, Managing Director & Chairman of National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) technical and financial aspects as well as future prospects.

“Germany is ready to support, offering technology and finest engineering know-how” said Mr. Wolfdieter Böhler, Head of Bilateral Energy Cooperation Division, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Germany who had given the welcome address to the Indo-German Energy Dialogue prior to the business roundtable. He stated that “more than 30 % of all our electricity in Germany already comes from renewable energy sources. We already experienced days with hours, where more than 85 % of its entire electricity demand was covered by renewable energy sources and which could properly be handled by the grid (…) The major extend of our solar capacities are rooftop installations, owned by farmers, SMEs, private households and hundreds of cooperatives formed by citizens.” Mr. Bhanu Pratap Yadav, Joint Secretary at Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) inaugurated the Energy Dialogue from the Indian side stating that with private sector and civil society involvement the political goal of 40 GW of grid connected solar rooftop installations as part of India's overall solar target of 100 GW by 2022 is possible.

During the Indo-German Energy Dialogue promising business models for solar rooftop, financing possibilities, public support schemes and tenders as well as trends in self-consumption in India were presented. Dr. Ashvini Kumar, Managing Director of Solar Energy Corporation of India, responsible for the facilitation and implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) and the achievement of targets therein set by Government of India presented promotion schemes for further solar photovoltaic rooftop projects. Chief Guest of honour Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Mr. Piyush Goyal closed this Indo-German Energy Dialogue reiterating India’s resolution to take up the leadership of saving the planet from climate change. He highlighted how in the future, with renewable revolution, electricity may even be provided free of cost and may only be given as an added incentive along with other services. Noting Munich’s aim to become a 100 % renewable energy powered city by 2025, Mr. Goyal threw the challenge to present organisations and companies to make Varanasi 100 % renewable energy powered even before 2025. In this way, the world’s oldest city shall also become the first city to be powered fully by clean energy.

The “Indo-German Energy Dialogue” and the Business and Experts Roundtable were both organized by Government of India and Government of Germany in the framework of the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF).

 

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