India has been planning extensively with its $1.4 billion worth of solar-thermal power stations and now half of those projects are set to be delayed and scrapped, due to supplies stall and dust- clouds.
This means in the first set of 500 megawatts of projects, which is due to be completed in February and May, only a third of that capacity may be ready on time, said Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Three of the 10 ventures are unlikely to be built.
This delay comes as a blow to companies General Electric Co., Siemens AG (SIE) and Areva SA (AREVA), who have acquired stakes in solar-thermal equipment makers since 2009 on the expectation the technology could compete with coal- and gas-fired power. Solar-thermal plants, which focus sunlight on liquids to produce steam and drive turbines, can store energy, allowing electricity to be delivered around the clock.
Developers have already delayed five plants, or 320 megawatts of capacity, as they have been unable to get heat-transfer fluid from the only two U.S. suppliers, according to Kapoor, who said those suppliers are backed up with orders.
Companies such as Lanco Infratech Ltd. (LANCI) have also reported high dust levels in the desert areas where many plants are built. The dust particles scatter the sun’s rays, reducing the direct solar radiation that can reach a plant’s receptors.
To many, this delay does not come as a surprise as solar-thermal projects are heavy engineering projects, carried out in hostile conditions. Areva has already scrapped a 250 megawatt solar-thermal complex in Australia this month after failing to get government funding. In India, the solar-thermal program has generated orders for about $150 million of turbines from suppliers including GE (GE) and Siemens, which could now be affected.
