U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions

A clean energy enterprise, partnering with organisations to achieve their sustainability goals.

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IBM takes the plunge into sustainable energy : Commercial Solar for Offices

The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) established in 1948, is a multi-disciplinary government organization under the Department of Mines, Ministry of Mines, engaged in the promotion of conservation, scientific development of mineral resources and protection of the environment in mines other than coal, petroleum & natural gas, atomic minerals and minor minerals.The organisation has always been at the forefront of adopting sustainable practices to drive forward mining activities across their partner organisations in the mining industry. With the installation of a grid connected rooftop solar power plant at their premises, IBM has further demonstrated their commitment towards sustainable development.

The capacity of the grid-connected rooftop solar power plant installed at IBM, Bangalore is 52 kWp, has been constructed using high quality 325 Wp poly-crystalline solar PV modules from one of India’s top module manufacturer RenewSys totaling 160 nos., 1 no. 50 kW high efficiency SUNGROW on-grid solar inverter enabled with Trinity Touch Data Logger Monitoring System and highest quality Balance of System (BoS).The plant is divided into two sub-arrays, each of X kWp each and has been installed on flat RCC roof of the building.  The solar power plant was setup under Govt. OPEX financing mechanism, wherein the entire cost of Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning of the plant is managed by U-Solar while IBM reaps the benefits of clean and inexpensive solar power by entering into a long term PPA with a tenure of 20 years. The PMC for the project was executed by Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL), a reputed Govt. PSU based out of Jaipur, Rajasthan

The following info-graphic illustrates the environmental impact of the 52 kWp grid connected rooftop solar power plant.

Sustainability and sustainable development continues to be at the heart of the mining industry with the rising challenges arising from global warming and climate change. Mining for minerals and ores has come a long way in terms of newer methods being adopted for their extraction and are complemented by sustainable processes that promise much to maintain integrity of the mining areas, the local populations and the plethora of biodiversity that cohabitants the mining environment. A global report carried out by professional services firm, Deloitte in the context of sustainable mining states the challenges as ever-increasing demand for mined resources continue to remain a major concern, as well as the consumption of resources such as energy and water, which are required throughout the extraction process. If mankind is serious about living in harmony with Nature, it becomes imperative that the change starts at the source i.e. mines and mining activities. Several mining organisations across the World have begun taking necessary measures to create a positive environmental and social impact in their quest towards true sustainable development. The overarching goal of U-Solar is to persuade mining organisations to consider solar energy as an important and significant part of their overall energy mix with the help of innovative off-grid solar solutions for the remotest of mining sites.

With significant advancements in technology and the rapidly declining costs of solar PV components and solar power systems, an increasing number of commercial establishments are adopting solar energy for offsetting their carbon footprint and the ever rising grid power electricity bills.This is true particularly with respect to the mining industry, which has a deeper commitment towards sustainability and has the immense capability to deliver greater positive impact on the ground, socially and environmentally.  

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If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Email us at [email protected]

WhatsApp us at +91  63 6622 6970 |  https://wa.me/916366236970

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Maintaining Productivity and Motivation in Teams while Working From Home

An interview with Sanjeev Jha, Head of Operations at U-Solar Clean Energy

Q: Was working from home perceived as productive? How has this changed?

Working from home wasn’t unproductive, but it was definitely unplanned. Now we have a structure that tracks the work of our employees, which helps managers allocate specific tasks allowing a schedule for the team and each individual on it so that each day is planned in advance. This helps us know what tasks are completed and yet to be done based on the workload remaining. Allowing similar levels of transparency that we maintain at our office, where allocating and monitoring tasks is more open and accessible.

Q: How is productivity maintained at home? What can one practice for it?

It is all about discipline, how you approach your work. Maintaining a personal schedule for work by understanding how long it takes to do each task and following through by focusing on each of them based on priority. A lot of it is self-discipline in adopting the mindset that “I am still working, I can contribute”, as the work hasn’t stopped only now we do it from our homes. So if you were working at the office, the same tasks can be done at home – we have the infrastructure to do so. In case that is not possible due to the nature of work one can focus on R&D or learning.

Q: What techniques can be used to motivate teams? Considering the distance.

It is essential to maintain a healthy schedule for your work day. There are many webinars available at this time for learning and improvement. A lot of material is available online for research and development of skills and techniques. It is important for managers to plan for their teams time by including skill development during the work day/week. This is a practice we have introduced in all our teams and we hope to continue when the lockdown is lifted. R&D should become an essential part of the team’s goals, as it helps improve our understanding of technology and service.

Q: The projects have halted, so how is the entire Projects Operations team occupied?

The focus of our work for the Projects Operations team is to improve our Project Management skill-sets. This time allows us to hone in on important PM multitasking skills, through webinars and videos – how to manage large projects, how to track multiple tasks in parallel, how can we arrange procurement time. All of these tasks are being planned for our new projects while we are also learning how to do them better once project engineering activities begin. Currently, the Projects team is busy with planning for post lockdown work, to optimize our timelines.

Q: Has lockdown changed the perspective for remote work? How has it, elaborate?

Yes, (definite) it has changed. On the site level, obviously there has been a huge impact on the Projects teams work (since the majority of their workload is constructing a solar plant) but this has not been the same for our Project Managers who work from the office. The PMs have been busy with learning and planning, which can be done at home too for the future. By maintaining the same structure we have developed in order to optimize our timelines we can improve our project delivery, so working from home is productive in the end.

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Decathlon upholds RE100 commitment, with a 200kWp solar plant!

Under the Opex Financing Model, Decathlon has installed a solar power plant.

Decathlon S.A. in line with UN’s Sustainability Development Goals, SDG 7 and SDG 13 is committed to the cause of sustainability while remaining true to its primary purpose of making the benefits and pleasure of sport accessible to the many. The company has achieved 2.5% reduction in carbon intensity per product sold in 2018, has extensive plans to procure 100% renewable electricity by 2026 for all their stores and warehouses and also support their industrial partners in the journey of becoming a RE100 company. The company also plans to introduce 100% eco-friendly and eco-designed products by the year 2021. Therefore it does not come as a surprise when one of their newest retail store in Enikepadu, Vijayawada decided to go solar and install a grid-connected rooftop solar power plant to meet electricity requirements and offset a major chunk of their utility bills from clean solar power.

The capacity of the grid-connected rooftop solar power plant installed at Decathlon Vijayawada is 200 kWp, has been constructed using Tier 1 solar company Trina Solar’s premium quality 330 Wp poly-crystalline solar PV modules totaling 606 nos., 1 no. each of 50 kW and 60 kW high efficiency SUNGROW on-grid solar inverters enabled with Trinity Touch Data Logger Monitoring System and highest quality Balance of System (BoS) including cables, safety life lines to carry out risk free post installation O&M activities along with other essential safety equipment etc.This state of the art solar power plant was setup under U-Solar’s OPEX financing model, wherein the entire cost of Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning of the plant is managed by U-Solar while Decathlon Vijayawada reaps the benefits of clean and inexpensive solar power by entering into a long term PPA with a tenure of 20 years. With the installation of this solar power plant, Decathlon Vijayawada has successfully managed to offset 40% of their monthly electricity bills.

Picture below illustrates the environmental impact of the 200 kWp grid-connected rooftop solar power plant,

Decathlon is one of the most easily recognizable brand names when it comes to sports equipment, today. The French sporting goods retailing giant now has over 1000 stores in nearly 50 countries, making it the largest sporting goods and equipment retailer in the World. Since its inception in 1976, Decathlon has created over 25 brands of sporting equipment across various sports categories, which have now become household brand-names across the World. The company files up to 40 patents every year in developing innovative new products for its owned brands, and employs more than 85,000 people world-wide which goes to show that product innovation and community development is at the heart of everything that Decathlon does as a company.

As the World gears up to make a paradigm shift towards renewable energy, sustainability is at the center of every decision taken by leaders of some of the largest organisations. In this sense Decathlon is leading the way in terms of renewable energy adoption, primarily from solar for their numerous stores and warehouses across the globe. The potential environmental and social impact Decathlon can make by making the important switch to clean and green solar power is immense and the future generations will benefit immensely from their positive and proactive decisions taken today.

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If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Piyush Kapoor | [phone] | [email protected]

Dhwani Sunku | [phone] | [email protected]

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India’s Largest Forging Company Adopts Solar Energy

Forging is traditionally considered as the back bone of manufacturing industry. It is a major input to the sectors which support economic growth of the nation, such as, Automobile, Industrial Machinery, Power, Construction & Mining Equipment, Railways and General Engineering. One such company is Ramkrishna Forgings Ltd. (RKFL) who wanted to explore the opportunity of becoming more sustainable, reached out U-Solar for advice and to work on a strategy to help them cut energy costs for the facility without investment.

RKFL are suppliers to various sectors like Automotive, Railways, Farm Equipment, Bearings, Oil & Gas, Power and Construction, Earth Moving & Mining, both in domestic & overseas markets. In India, the company has multiple manufacturing units spread across five locations, one of which is located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, where the company wanted to reduce energy costs by adopting a green and sustainable source of power.

RKFL took an initiative to contribute towards the preservation of the environment by adopting solar financing option (Opex model) for 910kW Sheet & RCC roof (of 860kWp) and Carport (of 50kWp). A total of 2808 modules and 15 inverters were used for the solar power plant.

The system was commissioned on 15th September 2019.The solar financing option allows RKFL to use green energy by providing risk free savings without any investment for the solar power plant. The company has signed a (PPA) with a third party energy company at a lower than the retail price of electricity being offered by the state utility, which allows for cheaper - cleaner energy.

By utilizing electricity from solar power resulted in reduced consumption of fuels, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. RKFL opting solar plant resulted in cost saving, secure investment, increase in access to energy, low maintenance cost etc. The solar model and reduction in their operational costs frees capital for the customer to invest in other areas.

Picture below illustrates the environmental impact of the 910KW solar power plant.

If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Piyush Kapoor | [phone] | [email protected] 

Dhwani Sunku | [phone] | [email protected]

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Big Basket on Sustainability & Solar Adoption

In an interview with Mr. Brahmaprakash Lakshmipati, we explored the sustainability initiatives at Big Basket and their need to drive solar adoption at the warehouses. 

1.       What are the sustainability initiatives by Big Basket?

We definitely want to reduce our carbon footprint and grow in a sustainable way.The most important initiative has been installation of rooftop solar power plants at our warehouses. We have initiated the use of electric vehicles for our deliveries in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. We would ideally like to adopt this method across India. Currently availability of battery charging infrastructure is a constraint which needs to be addressed. In addition our customer invoices are printed on recycled paper, thanks to which we will considerably reduce cutting of trees.

2.       Why is sustainability and solar important to Big Basket?

Sustainability is important from two aspects. Firstly it is a cost saving mechanism, we pay large sums for electricity bills in our energy intensive warehouses due to the facilities such as cold rooms and material handling equipment that consume lot of power. By adopting rooftop solar we are saving money by reducing our electricity consumption from the grid and therefore the bill. In addition as a policy, Big Basket believes in being as eco-friendly as possible by including sustainability in all its processes.

3.       Does going solar drastically reduce your operation cost?

The savings could be about 15 to 20 % of electricity bill, a noteworthy amount that saves the OPEX for the company. The savings could be more but for the cap on rooftop solar installation over the contracted demand placed by the state electricity boards.

4.       What percentage of renewable energy is currently being integrated in Big Basket’s warehouses?

We have started solar installation on all our warehouses where feasible. We have already installed roof top solar of capacity 1.6 MWp on our major warehouses located in Tier 1 cities. We are in the process of installing additional 3 MW of solar panels. Currently 15 to 20 % of our energy needs are being met through roof top solar.

5.       What has been special about working with U-Solar?

We found that U –Solar is a professionally competent company. They have been extremely flexible and understanding in their terms and conditions. They are ready to take up challenges – one example is the installation of a solar plant with battery backup in one of our facilities where the EB supply is not available.

6.       Briefly elaborate on your experience of working with the U-Solar team.

It has been an extremely good experience as they have been very proactive. Installation of solar panels is not very straightforward, it needs lot of deliberation and understanding of the site conditions. Lot of issues needs to be discussed and agreed upon with the landlords as all our warehouses are leased properties. U-Solar worked with us as a team; as a result we covered a lot of headway in a very short time.

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Solar Solutions for the Mining Industry

The mining industry is at the core of the manufacturing industry, it supports by providing raw material for almost all industrial manufacturing components. The importance of the mining industry is not subtle in any form, but what is less known is how energy intensive the operations are. Mines are usually located in remote locations away from grid connectivity, as a result large amounts of diesel is consumed in gen-sets, which considerably increases the cost of the operation. Many mining companies in Australia and USA are beginning to use a two-fold solution to combat this issue, Renewable Energy. It is not only clean and reliable, bringing some light into the sustainable practices being following in these mines but is also much cheaper than using diesel as fuel, which generally includes transportation and storage costs as well.

With renewable energy fast becoming a mainstream source of energy, the mining sector has a significant tangible opportunity to use renewable energy to lower power costs, improve safety, reliability and sustainability, thereby mitigating risks that adversely affect the growth of the mining industry. Among available forms of renewable energy solar energy is perhaps the most appropriate solution to the problems and challenges faced by the mining industry. Mines are located in remote areas that are several kilometres away from the nearest natural gas pipeline or electrical transmission line. In the absence of reliable source of electric power, mining companies end up heavily relying on diesel as an alternative for uninterrupted operations at their mines. Transportation of diesel over potentially long distances and hazardous terrains is an expensive exercise in itself and the sector therefore has to incur significant costs in operating the mines. Besides these costs, there are intangible environmental costs to consider as well, such as carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and accidental spills during transportation of diesel. Solar, therefore offers a far simpler and cleaner alternative, reduces diesel consumption, while not compromising on reliability.

Most mines require electric power round the clock. With continuous advancement in storage technologies, solar with battery backup solution is perhaps one of the best alternatives to solve the problem of erratic power supply prevalent in the mining sector. The cost effectiveness of solar and the better return on investment it offers, makes it a prime solution for mining companies looking to replace expensive diesel or gas at their setups.

With India’s growing economy, its demand for mining commodities such as copper, lithium etc. is also increasing rapidly. For the success of Government of India’s “Make in India” initiative, the mining sector must grow to meet this demand and sustain the development of the downstream industries such as manufacturing and infrastructure. The utilisation of solar or any other forms of renewable energy in India’s mining sector today is negligible, however, as mining companies look to become more competitive and sustainable, mine operating costs have become a key focus. According to a report on energy efficiency in the mining sector by the Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CIMFR), energy costs account for at least 10% of production costs in the Indian mining industry. State-run Coal India Ltd, the world’s largest coal miner, plans to set up 20,000 MW of solar projects over the next 10 years and aim to achieve 100% utilisation of renewable energy by 2050.With the increasing pressure on governments and mining companies to adopt sustainability, renewable energy sources such as solar simultaneously address concerns regarding fuel prices, logistics, and emissions. With U-Solar, mining companies have the opportunity to reduce their operating costs, become more environment friendly and sustainable and pave the way towards a better future for everyone living on this beautiful planet, Earth.

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Our Offering :

For more information reach out to,

Ms. Dhwani Sunku | [email protected] | [phone]

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Image Credits : Akuo Energy

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Solar for the Pharmaceutical Industry

India is one of the largest exporters of pharmaceuticals and generic medicines in the world.  The Indian Pharmaceutical sector has witnessed steady growth over the years and is a significant contributor to the country’s economy. For this growth to continue into the coming years, affordable and reliable power is required for the Pharmaceutical Industry as power tariffs increase every year, substantially impacting manufacturing costs. Many pharmaceutical companies are committed to the cause of sustainability, not just in business terms, but also in the environment sense by adopting innovative technologies to reduce energy consumption and imbibing resource management practices in their manufacturing processes.

Pharmaceutical Industry requires massive amounts of power for operating. One such large pharmaceutical company decided to tackle the problem of increasing power tariffs by adopting a rooftop solar power plant. U-Solar’s attractive OPEX offering made economic sense to this fast growing company, wherein they did not have to invest towards construction of the solar power plant, and are now enjoying the benefits of sourcing solar energy. The company has signed a long term PPA with a 3rd party power producer for procuring power at a rate that is 20-30% lower than the retail electricity price offered by the state DISCOM.

The 956 kWp solar PV system that has been installed is a combination of ground-mount and rooftop configuration. While 916 kWp solar PV system was setup on the ground using 2820 nos. of high performance 325 Wp RenewSys poly-crystalline solar PV modules, 8 nos. of 92 kW KACO string inverters. Likewise a 40 kWp PV system was installed on the rooftop using 120 nos. of high performance 330 Wp RenewSys poly-crystalline solar PV modules, 1 no. 22 kW Sungrow inverter. For data monitoring and communication, WebdynSun Data Logger & Monitoring System has been configured at the site to aid operation and maintenance of the solar power plant. The plant was commissioned in the month of June 2019, built on a single axis seasonal tracking system that improves the generation by 8-10%.

The Pharmaceutical Industry in India is expected to grow to $55 bn. by 2020. Considering the rising energy demands of the industry in tandem with escalating retail power prices, the time is right for pharmaceutical companies to adopt solar energy. The uptake of power from renewable sources like solar can happen at zero capital investment by partnering with U-Solar and having a solar power plant installed in your manufacturing/warehousing premises, without the hassle of building, operating and maintaining the same.

If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Piyush Kapoor | [phone] | [email protected]

Suresh Babu | [phone] | [email protected]

Dhwani Sunku | [phone] | [email protected]

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Big Basket Shops for Clean Reliable Power

The solar PV industry is witnessing a rapid adoption of distributed solar power, especially from the commercial and industrial (C&I) consumer segment. U-Solar’s OPEX proposition is so economically compelling that it makes switching to solar a no brainer for every C&I consumer. Quick on the heels to grab this opportunity to go green alongside saving energy is Big Basket, India’s largest online grocery store having presence in major cities across the country. Ever increasing cost of grid power is prompting many C&I entities to switch to alternatives that could help cut down their monthly electricity bills. Big Basket business entails operating out of warehouses that demand 24/7 electric power and what better than solar energy to address this requirement and benefit from electricity savings.  

Big Basket have in the past proved their commitment towards sustainable development with the e-commerce retail giant switching to delivering goods via electric vehicles. Now, with the adoption of solar they are further demonstrating how business growth can happen in a sustainable environment. Incorporating solar into the energy mix and making it the primary source of power for their warehouses is a step taken in the right direction and the efforts highly laudable. E-Commerce companies own large warehouses that are already equipped with sufficient rooftop space and the unsophisticated nature of the roof makes it easy to mount solar PV modules using simple structures.  For these giant E-Commerce companies like Big Basket, the overriding factor influencing the decision to go solar or not is the high initial capital involved in engineering and designing the plant, procuring the materials and ultimately the construction of the plant. This is where the OPEX/BOOT model emerges as an attractive option, wherein a third party makes the requisite investment and also engages in engineering, procurement and construction along with the operation and maintenance of the plant. The OPEX model therefore offers a low risk option to Big Basket, wherein they reap the benefits of clean and inexpensive solar power without having to spend a penny on building and operating the system.

The Big Basket warehouse located at Jigani, Bengaluru is one among several sites where solar PV systems of various sizes have been planned for installation under BOOT model. The retail giant has signed a long term PPA with a third party power producer for procuring power at a rate 30% lower than the retail electricity price offered by the state government. The rooftop solar PV installed capacity at Big Basket, Jigani is 250kWp, is constructed using high performance 320kWp EMMVEE poly-crystalline solar PV modules totaling to 780 nos., 3 nos. 60KW and 1 no. 20KW K-Star solar string inverters enabled with Webdyn Data Logger Monitoring System and highest quality Balance of System (BoS) including cables, safety equipment etc. The solar PV plant was commissioned in December 2018 and generates about 1000kWh (units) everyday helping offset monthly electricity bill by approximately INR 2.5 lakhs.

Picture below illustrates the environmental impact of the 250kWp solar power plant.

Rooftop solar PV market in India is definitely gaining traction and big retail houses like Big Basket, with Snapdeal and Amazon to jump on the bandwagon soon, are paving the way for a cleaner and greener world.

If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Piyush Kapoor | [phone] | [email protected] 

Suresh Babu | [phone] | [email protected]

Dhwani Sunku | [phone] | [email protected]

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Solar power for ECO-SMART dairy farms - Enhancing business and preserving the environment

Dairy & manufacturing of its associated products is one of the fast-growing industries in India. The introduction of newer technologies to assist with the manufacturing and maintenance of the highest food standards have contributed to significant increases in energy consumption by these state-of-the-art facilities. At present, all dairy operations are performed using electricity from the grid supply, with diesel gen-sets as backup. As a result, any cost increase in the in these sources of power sees a corresponding increase in the operating costs of these large facilities.

Most of the large existing and upcoming dairy operations across India are now looking at ways to improve efficiency of existing processes and also at reducing power costs, in order to enable a sustainable future in a competitive business.  These dairies are considering solar power from their existing rooftops or on available ground area* to provide a part of their energy needs. After all, the benefits are compelling - decreased power bills, lower generator usage, export of surplus power to the grid* during holidays, clean energy credentials and an attractive ROI in the long term. However, it is likely that the plan for solar PV has not been implemented because of the high initial capital cost.

We have just the right solution for you to overcome these initial hurdles. We at U-Solar offer a OPEX financial model called the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model for large enterprises which will help utilise existing rooftop/ground* space while having to pay only for the power consumed, just as there would be payment for power consumed from state electricity boards.

The client signs a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with an energy company at a price lower than the retail price of electricity being offered by the state utility along with a mutually agreed escalation year on year.  The OPEX financial option allows the client to lock in risk free savings and also offers the client an opportunity to acquire the requisite infrastructure needed for solar to be added to the energy mix without the high capital expense and risk associated with the technology, performance, operation and maintenance of the solar power plant for the duration of the agreement.

We have worked and helped one of the leading private dairies in India, Heritage Dairy, which has a vision to reduce dependence on conventional energy while reducing their carbon footprint. This has been done at  four state of the art facilities spread across three states.  Detailed site surveys have been conducted at these facilities. System sizes have been recommended based on the day time requirement between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM as well as the space available to install the solar modules in the facilities.

Post our detailed survey we recommended a system size of 685 kW across four locations in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. We recommended the use of 2192 poly-crystalline solar modules of 320Wp supplied by Risun and twenty-two numbers of 25 kW SMA Solar grid connected inverters. Net-metering was enabled depending on the state policy for a few locations in order to facilitate export of excess power back into the grid on weekends and national holidays at these facilities.

The 685-kW solar power plant will generate approximately 9,60,000 units/ annum with a degradation of 1% year on year. The solar power plants helped the facilities reduce their energy bills and the plant has been successfully running since March 2017. The project was constructed using the Capex Investment option.

U-Solar is now offering the dairy industry a solar financing option with the following minimum requirement:

The organization should have a good investor grading (CRISIL BBB+ / greater)

Minimum system size of 200 + kW

Strong financial background

Willing to sign long term contractors for a duration of 20 years

If your organization is looking to adopt solar, please feel free to get in touch with us. We believe in partnering with our clients on their sustainability journey.

Piyush Kapoor | [phone] | [email protected]

Suresh Babu | [phone] | [email protected]

Dhwani Sunku | [phone] | [email protected]

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U-Solar Introduction

U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions is a leading provider of solar power solutions, serving industrial, institutional and commercial clients.  U-Solar provides EPC services, whereby, we design, engineer, construct and maintain high quality solar power plants. Additionally, we provide RESCO (Renewable Energy Services Company) services where the customer only pays for the solar power generated and the investment in the solar plant is made by a developer. For availing RESCO services, customers are not required to make any investment and only need to enter into long term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) contracts for the purchase of solar power.  

Our differentiating strengths include a strong understanding of business, technical, policy and economic aspects of solar power generation, to help customers choose and get the best solution for their requirements. Additionally, we have strong turnkey project management and execution capabilities, to set up solar power plants of any size across India. We have executed projects in diverse locations such as Lalru (Punjab), Rupadhia (Northern UP), Pune (Maharashtra), Ambasamudram (Tamilnadu), Gudalur (Nilgiris, Tamilnadu), Faridabad (Haryana), Gurgaon (Haryana), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, etc.

Founded in 2010, U-Solar began operations focusing on providing battery-based and small grid-tie Solar PV systems to residences and small commercial customers. With the steady growth of solar energy adoption in India due to improvements in technology, reduction in costs, favorable government policy, development of financial eco-system and increase in customer awareness, U-Solar now provides solutions for industries and large institutions. Over the last two years, U-Solar has installed a number of large captive solar power plants including TVS Motors (1 MWp), Whirlpool (1 MWp), DLF (700 KWp), ALP Nishikawa (600 KWp), Madura Coats (500 KWp), Shriram Properties (700 KWp), K Raheja (100 KWp), Sona Koyo (100 KWp), etc.  U-Solar has also been involved with the construction of ground mounted systems for Greenko – 10 MWp at Chelekere (Karnataka) and 20 MWp at Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh).

 As a proven vendor of choice for end-customers in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, as well as for developers seeking a reliable EPC partner, U-Solar has established itself as a provider of high quality, cost-effective solar power plants, delivered in a timely manner.

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Madura coats continues its faith in solar by adding another 3 MW for its facilities in TN

Madura Coats is India’s leading manufacturer of sewing, craft threads and garment accessories. It is a part of the Coats Group PLC which is head quartered in the UK. The group is a world leader in Industrial thread and customer textile crafts. Since 2000, the group has taken great initiatives in reducing their energy consumption at all their facilities. This has been achieved by focusing on energy efficiency, investing in new technologies and buying increasing amounts of renewable energy. In India, the company has multiple manufacturing units spread across nine locations, one of which is located in Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district, where the company wanted to explore the opportunity of reducing energy costs by adopting a green and sustainable source of power.

The company opted for the solar financing option, which allows them to lock in risk free savings and avoid steep initial capital costs of installing such a system. The company has signed a long term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a third party energy company at a price 20% lower than the retail price of electricity being offered by the state utility along with a mutually agreed escalation year on year.  

In phase one, a captive rooftop solar power plant  of 510 kW was set up. The solar plant consisted of 2,000 solar modules supplied by ReneSola India of 255 Wp capacity and 10 units of 50 kVA Delta RPI-M50A commercial series inverters along with Delta’s Remote monitoring system. The 510 kW grid connected system is generating approximately 2,300-2400 units/day. The system was commissioned on January 4th 2016. The facility pays a monthly bill to the energy company for the metered solar power.

The success of the phase one resulted in Madura coats reaching out to us and requested us to look at expanding the existing solar power plant capacity at Tirunelveli and also offered the Vada madurai site to be energised with solar. In phase two, a captive solar power plant of 2.1 MW was set-up at Ambasamudram site and 900 kW was setup at Vada Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The solar plant consisted of 9391 solar modules supplied by Vikram Solar and ReneSola India of 320 Wp capacity and 35 units of 60 KVA & 8 units of 50 kW Sungrow inverters with both the phases coming under one centralised remote monitoring system. The projects have been commissioned as of Fenruary 21st 2018.

The 3.5 MW solar power plant currently is offering over 60 lakh rupees in savings annually for both the sites without investment. The BOOT model offers the client an opportunity to acquire the requisite infrastructure needed for solar to be added to the energy mix without the high capital expense and also offers low risk as the plant is owned and maintained by the third party energy company.

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How a green initiative for global automobile leader Toyota, has also delivered huge business benefits and cost savings!

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, for the manufacture and sales of Toyota cars in India. It is currently the 4th largest car maker in India and as a responsible organisation it has firmly taken up the challenge of understanding the environment threats and is working on mid to long term commitment towards environmental protection.  The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 focuses on 6 critical areas for zero environmental impact challenge, which is focusing on the betterment of the society as it enables environmental protection through life cycle of there products, operation and services.

As part of Plant Zero CO2 Emission challenge 3, TKMPL considered installing and procuring renewable energy from different sources, one of which was an onsite solar power plant for its state of the art facility at Bidadi, in Karnataka. TKMPL chose the solar financing option, which allowed them to lock in risk free savings and allowed them to avoid the steep initial capital costs of installing such a system. The company has signed a long term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a third party energy company at a price 25% lower than the retail price of electricity being offered by the state utility along with a mutually agreed escalation year on year.

In phase one, a captive rooftop solar power plant of 3600 kW was set-up at the facility. A solar plant of 3000 kW on Plant two weldshop, ED shop and utility building and 600 kW was setup on as a ground mounted project with single axis tracker at eco zone. The solar plant consisted of 11,580 solar modules supplied by Tier 1 solar modules Talesun Solar of 315 Wp capacity and 3 units SMA Central Inverter 1000 CP of 1000 kVA and one unit of ABB PVS800 of 500 kW along with Trinity Touch SCADA to monitor the complete plant performance.The 3.6 MW grid connected at 11kV Voltage Class system is generating approximately 14,000 units/day. The system was commissioned on July 27th 2017.The facility pays a monthly bill to the energy company for the metered solar power.

The 3.6 MW solar power plant currently is offering over 80 lakh rupees in savings annually without investment. The solar power plant has also helped reduce the ambient temperature inside the factory by 1 degree. Toyota have gone ahead with phase two and are currently construction another 5 MW plant on plant one, which is going to be commissioned at the end of 2018. Once commissioned it will be single largest project of 8.6 MW in South India.  The solar financing option offered TKMPL an opportunity to acquire the requisite infrastructure needed for solar to be added to the energy mix, without the high capital expense. It also reduces risk and management costs, as the plant is owned and maintained by the third party energy company.

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Solar power available without investment!

A leading auto components OEM, based out of Punjab, had reached out to U-Solar to help cut operational costs for their state of the art facility, which has been operational for over 15 years. The management did not want to invest in the solar power plant as they wanted to use the capital for upgrading existing infrastructure and on other purchases related to manufacturing. They reached out to U-Solar for advice and to work on a strategy to help them cut energy costs for the facility without investment.

A 510 kW grid connected rooftop solar PV system was installed at the facility. The system has been designed and built by U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions using the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model. The solar financing option allows the client to lock in risk free savings and avoid steep initial costs of installing such a system along with avoiding technological and performance related risks of owning the solar power plant. The company has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with a third-party energy company at a price lower than the retail price of electricity being offered by the state utility along with a mutually agreed escalation year on year.  The 510 kW Solar plant was an ideal fit as it offered a great opportunity to use existing shadow free roof space to generate and self-consume power, thereby helping to reduce operational costs and lower the carbon footprint of the facility.

The 510 kW system consists of 1,925 solar modules of 265 Wp each supplied by Canadian Solar modules and 7 units of 60 kVA SMA Tripower inverters with SMA Inverter management system and SMA’s state of the art remote monitoring of the system. We also enabled DG synchronising by installing a state of the art DG sync system enabling them to use the solar generation in tandem with the DG during power cuts ensuring fuel savings and over all reduced cost of power. The 510-kW grid connected system is generating approximately 2,100-2200 units/day. The system was commissioned on January 16th 2016. The facility pays a monthly bill to the energy company for the metered solar power.

The BOOT model offers the client an opportunity to acquire the requisite infrastructure needed for solar to be added to the energy mix without the high capital expense and risk associated with the technology and performance. It also lowers risk as the plant is owned and maintained by the third-party energy company.

Note: 

- Safety lifeline, fall protection and walkways have been incorporated at site

- O&M for the project is handled by the power producer for the duration of the PPA

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Complete Turnkey project Execution for Capex Installation

U-Solar will install the rooftop solar power plant after the detailed engineering exercise by the Engineering team at U-Solar. The client will own the asset and U-Solar’s well-trained operation and maintenance team will ensure smooth and efficient operation and maintenance (O&M) of the asset as per the terms and condition of the O&M agreement.

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Solar Open Access Power for Industrial & Commercial Facilities

U-Solar- Offers an opportunity to procure 80% of your power requirement from a clean & green source of power at a cost lower than the grid from our Investors existing and upcoming solar farms in Karnataka. Open access allows large users of power — typically having connected load of 1 megawatt (Mw) and above — to buy cheaper power from the open market. Open access allows the customer to procure large sums of its requirement not limited to the available roof space.

The opportunity allows you to protect your facility from rising power tariffs for the next 10 years as, power procured from solar power under the State’s solar policy is exempted from “Wheeling, Banking & Cross Subsidy Surcharges” for a period of 10 years if the power is shipped to the customer before March-2018*.

There is a zero-upfront investment and the power supplied will be cheaper than the regular grid power under a long-term power purchase agreement.

 For more details please get in-touch with Piyush Kapoor- Business Manager- [phone]

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Subsidy available for Educational institutions

Following models are available under SECI

•       CAPEX Model : System integrator enters into an Agreement with the rooftop owner at the quoted project cost for the Scope of work as per mutually agreed terms and conditions.

•       RESCO model: Developers intend to take a rooftop owned by some other entity on mutually agreed terms and conditions including lease agreement from the roof top owner(s) and enters into the PPA with rooftop owner / DISCOM / others for supply of Solar power for 25 years at a tariff from the date of Commissioning of project.

Eligibility for CFA (Subsidy)?

Scope of work by the Installer/developer

•       Complete design, engineering, manufacture, supply, storage, civil work, erection, testing and commissioning of the grid connected rooftop solar PV project.

•       O&M (Operations and Maintenance) of the project for a period of 5 years for Capex projects and O&M of the project for a period of 25 years for Non-Capex/RESCO Model after commissioning of the projects as per SECI’s acceptance.

 Warranties & Guarantees

•       The goods supplied under this contract are new, unused, of the most recent or latest technology and incorporate all recent improvements in design and materials.

•       Warranty covering the rectification of any and all defects in the design of equipment, materials and workmanship including spare parts for a period of 5 years from the date of commissioning

•       The solar company shall transfer all the Guarantees/ Warranties of the different components to the Owner of the project.

•       The responsibility of operation of Warrantee and Guarantee clauses and Claims/ Settlement of issues arising out of said clauses shall be joint responsibility of the solar installer/ developer and the owner of the project.

 Plant Performance Evaluation

SECI has laid down certain solar generation parameters that the systems set up by the solar companies have to comply with. To ensure compliance, SECI has taken Performance Bank Guarantees (PBG) from these solar companies and has linked subsidy disbursement with actual generation from the project. The parameters would ensure that the customer gets the most returns and benefits when they install a rooftop solar power plant.

The following parameters must be complied with:

•       The solar company shall be required to meet minimum guaranteed generation with Performance Ratio (PR) at the time of commissioning and related Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) as per the GHI levels of the location during the O&M period.

•       PR should be shown minimum of 75% at the time of inspection for initial commissioning acceptance to qualify for release of 30% subsidy.

Minimum CUF of 15% to be maintained for a period of 5 years is one of the conditions for release of PBG. The solar company should send the periodic plant output details to SECI for ensuring the CUF. The PR will be measured at Inverter output level during peak radiation conditions

 Note:

Subsidy available     for limited period only

Subsidy by the     installer to the client will be given based on first come first serve     basis

System of minimum     100 kW is required for the RESCO/Non-Capex Model

RESCO Model is     subject to investor approval, and submission of financial documentation     and trust certificate

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A Small Scale Industry in Bengaluru added Solar Power to their Energy Mix

The IT capital of India, Bengaluru is a house for thousands of small scale industries and SMEs which are located in and around the city. Till few days back the city was witnessing the harshest summer it has ever seen in the last 25 years. Also, people in Bengaluru are now seeing long power cuts as the gap between demand and supply is said to be increased to 2,600 MW. For industries, especially SMEs, this would be a hard time as the dependence on diesel generator increases, which in turn increases the operation costs. Is it really possible to find a long tern solution for this?

Wilson Sweets, a two decade old company which is a well-known brand in making of peanut chikki (a traditional sweet from Gujarat), approached us in finding a solution for this long power cuts. Thinking ahead about the grid power situation in the city, they were looking for a solution that can act as a strong captive power plant for their new factory and can reduce the dependence on diesel generator.

Based on the client’s input and infrastructure available at site, our team suggested a 10 kW grid connected rooftop solar PV system for the factory. The system generates ~40 units in a day and is helping in reducing the grid power consumption. The system will auto synchronize with the diesel generator and saves on diesel consumption during power cuts. The system is provided with Net-Metering solution that enables the factory to export the excess solar power back to the grid majorly during weekends and holidays, which helps to reduce the power bills to some more extent.

For the project we have used 40 numbers of 250Wp Vikram Solar panels that are made of polycrystalline technology. The panels are connected to a 10 kW grid tie inverter from Delta Electronics, one of the premium brand in grid tie configuration. The panels are fixed on a solar specific structures made of aluminium. The structures used are tested for 150 kmph wind speed. The structures are easily removable and aesthetically looks good.  

If you are looking for a solution in rooftop solar then we are your perfect choice. Contact us at [email protected] or call us at [phone].