Seven companies have won the Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) auction to install 5,665 kW rooftop solar projects under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model on 14 government buildings (Tranche-VIII).

The tender was floated in January this year.

GH2 Solar secured the highest overall capacity, winning 300 kW at a tariff of ₹3.13  (~$0.0333)/kWh, 1,200 kW at ₹3 (~$0.0319)/kWh, and 1,000 kW at ₹3.04 (~$0.0323)/kWh.

Mateshwari Bus Operations came in second, securing 750 kW at a tariff of ₹3.06 (~$0.0325)/kWh, 85 kW at ₹3.15 (~$0.0334)/kWh, and 280 kW at ₹2.97 (~$0.0316)/kWh.

Solaris Electrical Services rounded off the top three, winning 450 kW at a tariff of ₹3.65 (~$0.0388)/kWh, and 205 kW at ₹3.8 (~$0.0404)/kWh.

The scope of work covers the design, engineering, supply, storage, civil work, erection, testing, and commissioning of the rooftop systems. It also covers the operation and maintenance of the rooftop projects for the duration of the power purchase agreement (PPA).

The rooftop systems will be set up across Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

In the case of the 450 kW rooftop project at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Fursatganj, Amethi, the successful bidders must carry out a glare analysis by a certified agency to ensure compliance with aviation safety requirements before undertaking installation work over the hangars and the FOC building located within the airfield area.

They must obtain net metering and grid connectivity for the rooftop systems, and all  permits, approvals, licenses, and insurance for the projects.

The projects must ensure an annual capacity utilization factor of at least 15%.

The projects must be completed within seven months from the effective date of the power purchase agreement. The maximum time allowed to commission the projects, with the applicable penalty, is six months from the scheduled commissioning date.

The projects must only use modules and cells listed on the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. The modules must be warranted to deliver at least 90% of peak output at the end of 10 years and 80% at the end of 25 years. They must also be warranted for at least 10 years for failures due to material defects and workmanship.

Successful bidders must use only commercially established and operational technologies to minimize technology risk and ensure timely project commissioning.

Recently, SECI invited bids to set up 4.455 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects (Tranche IX) across India under the RESCO model.

Subscribe to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker for timely updates on all solar tenders issued by various agencies in India.