Three Days Training Programme on Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar PV Systems for Channel Partners, Project Developers, Manufacturers, and New Entrepreneurs

TERI organized a three-day training programme (second in the series) on ‘Grid-connected Rooftop Solar PV Systems’ for channel partners, project developers, manufacturers, and new entrepreneurs from January 11–13, 2016 at TERI RETREAT, Gual Pahari, Gurgaon. The training programme was designed in such a way that it would enable the target groups to understand the technical, financial, and regulatory aspects of rooftop solar PV systems, including quality standards, project management, gridinterconnection, metering arrangements, and remote monitoring mechanism.

Various practitioners and renowned industry experts from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Department of Renewable Energy of Haryana (HAREDA), the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), Tata Power DDL, Reliance Capital, SBI Capital, and SunSource shared their views and experiences on implementing solar rooftop PV systems.

A total of 68 participants from various channel partners empanelled under MNRE, new entrepreneurs and project developers attended the training programme. Overall, the programme was a huge success and was highly appreciated by the participants as well as the speakers. During the programme, various discussion points and issues were raised by the participants, such as the following:

• Major issues during the implementation of ‘net-metering’ scheme by the concerned DISCOMs, and clarity required in the regulations, as it is varies from state-to-state;
• Customers refusing to assign jobs to the new entrepreneurs, as they may not be eligible to bring the government subsidy;
• Relaxation in the minimum qualifying criteria, especially in the government tenders for grid-connected Solar PV projects;
• Banks to treat the solar PV system/power plants as collateral mortgage item;
• Issues such as subsidy disbursement, tender specifications, etc., at many state nodal agencies (SNAs);
• Subsidy to be limited to residential sector, may be through lower interest rate and other incentives, such as tax savings, etc.;
• Subsidy disbursement could be routed through banks, DISCOMs as they have major presence all across India;
• Awards and incentives (on the basis of quality installations, category of systems, etc.) for the new entrepreneurs and channel partners by the MNRE;
• List of trained manpower including ‘Surya Mitras’ to be uploaded into the SPIN system under MNRE, and training materials to be published in local languages;
• Issues such as limited access to the queries to respective channel partners/new entrepreneurs for their registered state (and on the basis of their presence/network) under SPIN system, which could be revised further.

Also, the MNRE requested channel partners and new entrepreneurs to indicate their year-wise target at SPIN system, which could be treated as one of the criteria for best performing awards.

Source: Akshay Urja Magazine, MNRE