The state of Tamil Nadu has issued 43 tenders to supply, install, and commission LED-based solar home lighting systems in 53,734 houses located in the rural areas of the state. The project falls under the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Greenhouse Scheme (CMSPGHS) for the year 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19.

The last date for the submission of bids is September 12, 2019.

Apart from supply, and installation of the systems, the scope of work also includes five years of comprehensive maintenance of the projects which will be spread across the villages of Tamil Nadu.

The entire project needs to be completed within six months. The successful bidders will have to set up district-level service centers as well. The installation and commissioning of solar home lights will have to be done at the locations identified by the district collector.

The goods installed under the contract should be covered for comprehensive insurance by the successful bidder against loss or damage during transportation or storage.

As per the tender, the SPV panels should carry a warranty of a minimum of 25 years. They must be warranted for their output peak watt capacity, which should not be less than 90% at the end of 10 years and 80% at the end of 25 years. The PCU, battery charger, and charge controller should carry a warranty for a minimum of five years.

According to the tender, those bidders who have wholly-owned subsidiaries should either be a registered manufacturer of the solar PV system or a PV system integrator for at least three financial years.

Further, the interested bidders should use SPV modules manufactured in India.

To bid for this tender, the bidder should have a minimum turnover of ₹30 million (~$.42 million) in any one of the previous fiscal years from 2015-16.

Also, the bidder should have supply and installation experience of at least 150 solar home lighting systems in the last three years in India.

Out of the total allocation of the solar home systems, 29% has been allotted to scheduled castes, 1% to scheduled tribes and the remaining 70% to others.

In July 2019, Mercom had reported that under the government’s UJALA program, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) had distributed over 353 million LED bulbs so far. This, in turn, has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 45.85 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 9,180 MW and an estimated greenhouse emission reduction of 37.13 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

Last year, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) built a partnership with Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society’s (BRLPS) JEEViKA program through an innovative institutional model to make clean energy products affordable to local women-based self-help groups. The program benefitted over 50,000 households across Bihar by providing access to solar home lighting systems and clean cookstoves.

Image Credit: Geoffrey.landis at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0

Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.