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The factory will produce blades for the G114-2.0 MW class S turbine, tailor-designed for the Indian market Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Ramesh Kymal, Gamesa's CEO in India, and José Antonio Cortajarena, Gamesa's Chief Corporate and General Secretary, presided the inauguration ceremony  Gamesa today inaugurated its new factory in the Nellore region, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, one of the country's fastest-growing wind power producing regions. Construction of this manufacturing facility, one of the company's largest in India, is framed by Gamesa's growth plans, which contemplate capex of more than €100 million through 2017 to reinforce its manufacturing presence in this market. The inauguration ceremony was presided by Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh Kymal, CEO of India, José Antonio Cortajarena, Chief Corporate and General Secretary, Iñaki Murgiondo, Industrial Managing Director

Renewable energy infrastructure is a big unfolding opportunity, says Schneider Electric’s India chief As India sets ambitious target for renewable energy sector growth, a number of opportunities have opened up. These include inverters, back up facilities, smart grids, net metering, distribution management systems for large solar parks, and Green Energy Corridors. Anil Chaudhry, Country President and Managing Director, Schneider Electric India, in an exclusive interaction with BusinessLine details the potential it holds for his Euro 27 billion revenue company. Excerpts: How do you see the unfolding opportunity in the renewable energy sector in India? This is the priority for the country seeking to keep up COP 21 commitments while balancing use of fossil fuel and renewables to meet growing energy requirements. The target of 175 giga watt by 2022 including 100 GW of solar is visionary and at Schneider Electric we consider this a good opportunity. During the financial y

India has complained to the World Trade Organization about support given to the renewable energy industry in eight U.S. states, the WTO said in a statement on Monday. The complaint alleges the states of Washington, California, Montana, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware and Minnesota prop up their renewables sector with illegal subsidies and domestic content requirements - an obligation to buy local goods rather than imports. The WTO statement did not give details of the complaint and there was no immediate comment from India's trade ministry. But India has voiced concerns in the past about U.S. support for its solar power industry. The race to build national solar capacity and grab a chunk of a new global market has become a major new cause of trade friction between big trading powers. India lost a case at the WTO earlier this year after the United States complained about New Delhi's national solar program. India has appealed that ruling. In 2

Seldom in industrial evolution do momentous changes occur rapidly, especially in industries like electricity that have been stable for decades. In electricity, we are at the brink of just such an inflection point. For students of industrial mutation, this is ‘whoopee’ time. Curiously, business schools and the economics profession appear to ignore the tectonic shifts. Creative Construction Joseph Schumpeter, in his classic  The Theory of Economic Development  (1934), noted that at the beginning of a new industry curve, there occur “a cluster of innovations.” New entrepreneurial businesses are formed based on them. Naturally, not all innovations take root; some startups flourish, others are abandoned, and yet others combine with complementary startups to give coherence to the emerging industry. Beyond the early phase of somewhat slow growth — the so-called latent market stage — at a critical point the industry growth rate accelerates, represented by an inflection point in the eme

Job growth in renewable energies is bucking the trends across the global energy sector, Adnan Amin, director-general for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), said on May 25. According to a new report released by IRENA —  Renewable Energy and Jobs — Annual Review 2016  —  more than 8.1 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable energy industry — a five percent increase from last year. “The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector,” Amin said in a statement. “This increase is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We expect this trend to continue as the business case for renewables strengthens and as countries move to achieve their climate targets agreed in Paris.” The total number of renewable energy jobs worldwide rose in 2015, while jobs in the broader energy sector fell, the report said. In the U.S.,

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Iceland?” Nordic? Cold climates? Glaciers? Those more familiar with the country might even add green or lush, but what about innovative, renewable or stable? Iceland has a uniquely stable power grid, an abundance of 100 percent renewable power and a booming start-up culture. Altogether, Iceland is the dream location for an energy developer eager to step outside of the box. Unlike many other places around the world, Iceland has more power than it could ever use or need — a defining characteristic for sure. The relatively young power grid was built for the aluminum industry. Aluminum smelters require a nearly 100 percent uptime in order to prevent a complete production shutdown, and as a result, the Iceland power grid is one of the most stable in the world. Add to that the renewable energy sources that power the entire grid, Iceland has a power profile not easily found elsewhere in the world. Founded over 50 years ago, Landsvirkj

Ukraine is trumpeting offers of breaks on tax and duties to lure foreign investors in renewable energy as it pushes to reduce dependence on Russian gas. The government in Kiev wants 11 percent of Ukraine’s power to come from renewable resources, mainly biomass, by 2020, Deputy Economic Development Minister Yuliya Kovaliv said in a speech in Berlin on Oct. 23. Ukraine needs foreign investors to help it reach its target in a market worth about 16 billion euros ($18 billion), she said. Foreign direct investment in the country is recovering, rising to $904 million in the second quarter from $352 million in the first, according to the National Bank of Ukraine. That compares with a net outflow in the first half of 2014 as the conflict with Russia escalated. Ukraine’s ambitious target for renewable energy reflects the need to cut Ukraine’s dependency on Russian gas for heat and power, Kovaliv said in an interview. “We must press forward, developing those resources

Gamesa India, a leading renewable energy company, has signed a 100 mW Wind Power Project Order with Hero Future Energies (HFE), a venture of The Hero Group that caters to providing renewable power.  Under this contract Gamesa will supply and erect 50 units of G97-2.0 mW turbines with a tower height of 104 metres at Dhar site in Madhya Pradesh. The commissioning is scheduled for March 2016.  Chairman and Managing Director, Gamesa India. Ramesh Kymal said, “We are happy to announce our new order win from The Hero Group. This partnership shows the trust customers have in our project capabilities and help us inch closer to the renewable energy targets set by the government which will secure the energy requirements of the country.” Rahul Munjal, Managing Director of Hero Future Energies (HFE), commented, “Completing this and other such developments in the pipeline, our cumulative installed capacity is likely to be over 500 mW by 2016.”   DH

Acknowledging a major positive shift in the trajectory of US-India relations, US officials have appreciated India's efforts to promote new and renewable energy sources and India's commitment towards the climate and clean energy. Both sides also committed to explore new opportunities for co-operation during a meeting here on Tuesday between visiting Indian Minister of State of Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal and US Secretary of State John Kerry. He will meet other prominent members of the US administration, including US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, US Trade Representative Michael Froman and Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader. Goyal will also meet major energy sector investors to showcase business opportunities in India and India's tangible progress in the doing business environment, according to the Indian embassy. Goyal is here on an invitation from Kerry to participate in the Climate and Clean Energy Investment Forum 2015 hosted jointly

The U.S. ranks second only to China as the largest consumer of energy in the world. And, in the U.S., the largest single energy user, as well as one of the largest consumers of energy in the world, is the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Not surprisingly, energy costs make up a huge part of the U.S. military budget – more than $4 billion per year. All federal agencies, including the U.S. military, have now been directed to ensure that by 2025, at least 25 percent of their total energy consumption will be from clean, renewable energy sources. They also were directed to reduce energy use in their facilities by 2.5 percent between 2015 and 2025. U.S. military installations are moving quickly to satisfy those sustainability goals, and the result is myriad contracting opportunities for private firms in the energy industry. Millions of dollars’ worth of contracts are being awarded to local utilities for renewable energy projects – mostly  solar  – on  military bases . And, many are th

Russian company RAO ES East will construct 178 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 146 MW within the coming five to seven years at the country’s Far East and close to the Artic Circle, according to a statement of the company’s management. Implementation of the program will require about RUB 20 billion ($350 million), but the investments will shortly pay itself as the project will save up to RUB 2.06 billion ($30 million) per year on the supplies of fuel to the remote cities and villages in the country. The target plan is to bring the level of alternative sources in the total structure of energy supply of the Far East to 40 percent. Projects Will Speed Up Russian state-owned company RAO ES East is responsible for the power supply of the Far East regions with low population density and weak network connections. It manages the power systems of hundreds of villages surrounded by tundra and taiga only, most of which are isolated from the general power

Levelized cost of electricity analysis for H2 2015 shows onshore wind to be fully competitive against gas and coal in some parts of the world, while solar is closing the gap. Earlier this month Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) announced findings that the LCOE for wind and solar is now cheaper than coal and gas in Europe. Further the organization said that it is actually the renewables that are pushing up the LCOE of gas and coal. Because the BNEF analysis is so deep and complex — it uses thousands of data points the company says — the press release that it issued was hard to understand. Here we take a deeper look at the process involved in comparing energy generation technologies to determine exactly why renewables will continue to push out fossils for the foreseeable future. First, what is LCOE ? Short for levelized cost of electricity, LCOE takes all of the factors into producing a megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity into play. This includes everything from t

HYDERABAD:  In a major boost to renewable energy sector, the Andhra Pradesh Government has inked memorandums with several companies with a total investment outlay potential of Rs. 19,000 crore. SBJ Cleantech, a joint venture of SoftBank Corporation of Japan, Foxconn Technology Group of Taiwan and Bharti Enterprises; Gamesa, the Spanish wind turbine maker, and Accinona Energia signed separate agreements for setting up solar and wind power projects in the State. The three-way venture of SBJ Cleantech has outlined plans to develop 2 Giga Watt solar (2000 MW) and One Giga Watt (1000 MW) wind power projects. Wind power companies Gamesa, Suzlon, Regen Power and Renew Power have outlined their plans for over the next five years, which includes wind power projects and turbine facilities. The Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, has assured strengthening of transmission network and wanted the developers to bring down the cost to Rs. 4 per unit from Rs. 6 now.

It has neve It has never made less sense to build fossil fuel power plants. r made less sense to build fossil fuel power plants. Wind power is now the cheapest electricity to produce in both Germany and the U.K., even without government subsidies, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). It's the first time that threshold has been crossed by a G7 economy. But that's less interesting than what just happened in the U.S.  To appreciate what's going on there, you need to understand the  capacity factor . That's the percentage of a power plant's maximum potential that's actually achieved over time. Consider a solar project. The sun doesn't shine at night and, even during the day, varies in brightness with the weather and the seasons. So a project that can crank out 100 megawatt hours of electricity during the sunniest part of the day might produce just 20 percent of that when averaged out over a year. That gives i