Prayas Energy Group (PEG) and Pune International Centre (PIC) organized a round table discussion on ‘Promoting Rooftop Solar Electricity Generation and Domestic PV Manufacturing’ on 6th February 2013 at the MCCIA towers in Pune.
The discussion was divided in two parts - the first session was devoted to discussing the emerging sector of Rooftop Solar PV (RTPV) electricity while the post-lunch session was entirely focused on issues surrounding domestic photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing in India. The objective of this roundtable was to take stock of this dynamic and fast paced sector and to provide a platform for sharing emerging issues and consolidate suggestions on the way forward.
The roundtable began with a welcome and introduction from Mr Amitav Mallik, Convener, PIC. Shri Ajit Nimbalkar, former Chief Secretary of the Govt Of Maharashtra chaired the first session while Shri Gireesh Pradhan, former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) delivered the keynote address. He noted that while RTPV is a promising and emerging sector, one needs to be systematic and cautious while moving forward. The role of the Utility would be crucial in promoting RTPV and hence at this early stage the entire process should be kept as simple as possible. Pilot projects should be encouraged to understand ground practicalities and way forward. Following the keynote address, there were four presentations beginning with Dr. S. P. Gon Choudhari, former director, WBREDA, who shared with the audience the experience of rooftop solar in West Bengal. Dr.Tobias Engelmeier, Founder and MD of Bridge to India, explained various business models and their associated benefits and risks. Mr. Ashwin Gambhir from PEG presented the findings of a recent Prayas publication on rooftop solar and elaborated the benefits of net metering. Finally Mr. Chinmay Kulkarni from Janwani shared with the audience his views on the possibilities of a community approach to rooftop solar. Following the formal presentations, the chairman of the roundtable, Shri Ajit Nimbalkar put forward his thoughts on the way forward for RTPV. This was followed by an in depth discussion by all participants and speakers which highlighted various perspectives on the issues and challenges at hand. The idea of a Green Pune Model for RTPV was strongly supported. All in all, one could safely say that the mood on RTPV is very upbeat and the sector is sure to grow very strongly in the coming years. Mr Prashant Girbane, Director, PIC briefly summarized the discussions till then, thus concluding the first session.
The afternoon session on domestic solar PV manufacturing in India was chaired by Mr. Pradeep Bhargava, founder member, PIC and chairman of the Western Region of CII and the keynote speech was delivered by Mr. K Subramanya, former CEO of Tata BP Solar and a doyen of the India solar manufacturing sector. Mr. Pradeep Bhargava noted that given the fiscal issues faced by the country, any manufacturing policy should depend as little as possible on financial assistance from the Government. Mr K. Subramanya, in his address explained in great depth the several issues faced by the Indian solar manufacturing sector and that the lack of an enabling environment at the time when other countries were giving out incentives and subsides was limiting the growth and effectiveness of the sector.
The workshop was attended by over 65 professionals from different States, representing different stakeholders including, academia, developers, consultants, utilities, financial institutions and NGOs. The presentations made during the roundtable along with summary report of the discussion can be downloaded here.