Thursday, May 29, 2014:The latest data released by India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) highlighting the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants during the month of April this year has spelled good news for the future of solar energy utilisation in the country. Solar PV plants commissioned under the National Solar Mission (NSM) have shown consistently high performance in April 2014 as well, if not better than the previous month’s data. It must be noted that MNRE had already forecasted that capacity utilisation factors (CUFs/CFs) of Indian PV would be promising in the months of April and May.
Although output was more or less similar to both March 2014 and April 2013, there were fewer low-performing PV plants across all categories suggesting that much of the operational issues that were denting the growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants across India have been largely resolved. PV projects under NSM Phase 1 batches one and two were the highest performing having CFUs ranging from 21–28 per cent. Only one of the 21 plants reported a CUF of 14.17 per cent.
Meanwhile, all of the 21 phase 1 batch one plants reported a 20–27 per cent CUF while the eight reporting Migration Scheme plants showed CUFs of 19–27 per cent. Plants commissioned under the Rooftop PV and Small Solar Power Generation Program (RPSSGP) are known to report lower CUFs. The trend continues in April 2014 as well with CUFs lying in the range of 15–25 per cent, with one under-performing plant reporting a 9.83 per cent CUF.
