For more information please see below link:

CREST Issue Tender for O & M Work for 1045 kWp Grid Connected Rooftop SPV Power Plants at Different Sites in Chandigarh.

For more information please see below link:

Sources in the MC said the Sector 39 water works has over six big tanks and all were under renovation to enhance their water storage capacity

Chandigarh: The municipal corporation is all set to get its first solar power plant at the main water works in Sector 39, costing between Rs 4-5 crore. The 1MW plant will come up over the clear water tank and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology (CREST) will run it through a selected private player.

The project will come up under Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) mode, under which the private company will install solar energy plants on the property and in return charge from the building owner a much lower tariff than the normal electricity rate for about 15 or 25 years or whatever period is agreed in the tender. In the MC’s project, the agreement will be for 25 years.

With this mode, the MC will be able to save around Rs 26 lakh annually by giving less power tariff of the water works. “In RESCO mode, we will have to pay Rs 3.33 per unit to the company as power tariff, and currently we are paying Rs 5.2 per unit. Therefore, it will give us a benefit of around Rs 26 lakh annually,” an MC officer said.

Sources in the MC said the Sector 39 water works has over six big tanks and all were under renovation to enhance their water storage capacity. If this project remains successful, all the tanks will have solar plants. “Deliberations for the project were going on for the past few months and senior engineering officers had also held meetings with the CREST officials. This is the first project to be matured,” sources said.

Target of 69MW

The Central government had given the Chandigarh administration a target to install 69MW solar plants in the entire city by 2022. The CREST has managed to install plants of 39.426MW so far, covering both government as well as private buildings. But to meet the target, the CREST has to install more solar plants, for which different schemes are being offered to people.

Source: Reuters

The development came in the wake of directions issued by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission to CREST on Monday

The Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) will be conducting a demand survey before it implements the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model in the city.

The development came in the wake of directions issued by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to CREST on Monday.

“The JERC asked CREST to gauge the demand levels for the scheme, and access the exact number of households which are interested in it,” said a senior UT official.

The UT administration, in June this year, had approved a scheme for the installation of solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants on rooftops in the residential areas under the RESCO model. As a pilot project, 2,200 systems will be installed on a first come first serve basis.

Under the RESCO model, residents won’t have to spend a single penny on setting up the SPV power plant. The SPV plant will be installed by a private company.

The residents will only have to give permission to set up the plant on their property. The maintenance of the equipment will be done by the private company, while the extra power generated by the plant against the power used will be paid to the company. After a period of about 15 years that will be decided through e-tender, the plant’s ownership will be transferred to the resident without any extra payment.

All plots above 500 sq yards mandatorily have to get SPV power plants. But, with not many residents coming forward, Crest decided to implement the RESCO model.

Source: hindustantimes

Chandigarh: Making way for more solar power generation in the city, Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (Crest), under the aegis of the environment department of Chandigarh administration, will install rooftop solar panels in 300 government residences of different categories.

Under the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 15 crore, government schools were left with some room for more solar panels on their roofs in the previous drive will also be covered in this installation exercise.

Since the work has started in some areas, its expected completion by March 31 will add 2.5 megawatts to the current solar energy production in the city. Crest recently got the approval for the financing of the project by the engineering department of the Chandigarh administration.

Since there are different categories of as per size, the authority has decided to install solar panels of two, three and five kilowatts at the government residences, while for schools, the panels will be set up as per the availability of space. “As houses have limited space, we will keep the area available in the mind and accordingly select the panel size before installation. Feasibility of setting up the panels will also be taken into account,” a source said.

When asked about the project, environment director and Crest CEO Debendra Dalai said, “The order of approximately Rs15 crore have been placed for the installation of solar panels in around 300 government houses of different categories and on the remaining area of school rooftops. We have set March 31 as the deadline for completion of the project.”

As per information, the department has installed solar panels at all the police stations of Chandigarh and the department will soon make them operational.

The UT administration has set a target of 69 megawatts by March 2022. As per sources, as nearly two years remain to achieve the said goal, Crest has resolved to generate at least 50 megawatts by March 2021.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes

Inauguration & Keynote Address by Mr. Debendra Dalai, CEO, CREST

Inauguration & Keynote Address by Mr. Ravindra Singh (Technical Expert), CREST

MNRE gave this information in its reply through Deputy Secretary (MNRE) Aujender Singh to Sector 32 resident Sandeep Poddar, who owns a micro solar plant installer firm in Chandigarh, on October 10.

WHILE THE Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) claims that it has demanded Rs 6 crore from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for issuing the pending subsidy to hundreds of Chandigarh residents, the ministry maintains that no complete proposal for the release of funds related to the customers in Chandigarh is pending with it.

MNRE gave this information in its reply through Deputy Secretary (MNRE) Aujender Singh to Sector 32 resident Sandeep Poddar, who owns a micro solar plant installer firm in Chandigarh, on October 10.

As per the CREST officers, the demand for Rs 6 crore was sent to MNRE in September this year.

Dr Abdul Qayum, Additional Director-cum-ACEO, CREST, said, “We uploaded the names of people who are yet to receive the subsidy on the web portal of MNRE. We have sent the demand for Rs 6 crore to MNRE. I will check the content of reply stating no proposal from Chandigarh is pending with MNRE. In the last two years, CREST had released around Rs 2.40 crore as subsidy to hundreds of people in Chandigarh.”

Sources said CREST had distributed Rs 2.40 crore and demanded another Rs 6 crore for releasing it to the people at the rate of 30 per cent subsidy on the total cost of solar plant installation. The difference between the already distributed Rs 2.40 crore and awaited Rs 6 crore shows the people waiting for the subsidy are more in number than the people who actually received the subsidy.

The detailed reply from Aujender Singh stated, “It refers to your grievance vide registration no. MOPG/E/2019/0538644 in which you have raised the issue of customers not getting the subsidy in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. In this regard, it is for your kind information that Ministry of New and Renewable Energy releases the funds to the implementing agencies after examination of the proposal with required documents from the implementing agencies. As of now, only one proposal of nodal agency of Punjab is pending for release of fund, which will be done shortly. No other complete proposal from Chandigarh or Haryana is pending for release of funds.”

Sandeep Poddar, a member of Solar E Developer Association, said, “I sent my query to the ministry of MNRE after the pre-bid meeting with CREST officers, who had claimed that they demanded Rs 6 crore from MNRE, on October 4. I received the reply yesterday. We will take up this matter with CREST officers in the next meeting.”

Source : indianexpress

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) has come up with a plan to promote solar energy and transfer its benefit to all the stakeholders. According to director CREST, Debendra Dalai, the residents will be given the option to permit Renewable Energy Service Company Model (RESCO) companies to install the Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) power plant on their rooftops and, in lieu of this, the residents will be charged much lesser tariff for the solar-produced electricity in the tariff bills as compared to the normal tariffs. In a period of a maximum of 25 years, the house owner will be given the power plant.

Dalai said that nowhere this model, named as RESCO has been conceived implemented. Government of India appreciated when it was tabled before the senior officials in a meeting held in New Delhi recently.

Dalai told TOI, “Under the RESCO model, the house owner allows the third party to install the solar system from the funds of the third party. This third party supply the generated power to the house owner on the mutually agreed rate which is lower than the DISCOM tariff. Both of them will sign the power purchase agreement on the agreed tariff for a period of maximum up to 25 years. The subsidy against the project will be released to the RESCO company by the government so that it can provide the lowest tariff to the house owner.”

He said that SPV power plant would be installed under Net Metering Mode where the surplus or net power should be exported to the DISCOM which would release the payment as per Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission regulations to the RESCO company. The copy of PPA will be given to the DISCOM beforehand for the record. After the completion of a period of mutual agreement, the company will transfer the SPV power plant to the house owner without any extra charges just like the concept of Built Own Operate and Transfer popularly known as BOOT. The company will also maintain the solar system until the agreement period.

“As the power tariff keeps rising, the house owner is likely to benefit from the low tariff in the long run. He/she does not require to invest anything under the model but need to just permit the use of his/her roof for installation of SPV power plant. After a period of maximum of 25 years, which can be reduced as we are still laying down the guidelines, he/she will own the solar system free of cost and use it thereafter,” said Dalai, adding, the companies who will refuse to part with the SPV power plant would be asked to extend the subsidy for longer period. He said that slabs would be created for tariff and handing over the gadget to the house owners reduction for a specific period soon. “

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes