Wednesday, May 07, 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 March 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 the highest capacity utilisation factors (CUFs/CFs) since last fall in the aforementioned month with April and May expected to be even more promising.
The data reveals that much of the operational issues that were denting the growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants across India have been largely resolved, as is evident from the lesser number of low-performing plants this month with respect to previous data. PV projects under NSM Phase 1 batches one and two had CFUs ranging from 22–25 per cent. Only one of the 43 plants under the phase coming in under 20 per cent mark. Meanwhile, six of the seven Migration Scheme plants reported a good 18–26 per cent CFU. Only one of the plants had a CFU od 2.1 per cent.
It must be note that a greater portion of Migration Scheme projects have reported low output in the previous months as against their phase 1 counterparts. The trend continues in March as well. Rooftop PV and Small Solar Power Generation Programme (RPSSGP) plants continue to show lower performance in consonance with previous data. Their CFUs for the month of March lied between 15–23 per cent. Of the 24 of such plants, only two reported a lower CFU (10.6 per cent and 13.7 per cent respectively).
