The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has published a request for proposal (RfS) from interested parties for 500 MW of its grid-connected PV rooftop scheme. On April 22, 2016, the government appointed body announced that the capacity will be built in various parts of the country. Deadline for bids is June 3, 2016.
By far this capacity happens to be the largest rooftop capacity offered by SECI. In January, SECI had allocated 42.75 MW of rooftop capacity, where bids went as high as 6.49 INR per kWh ($0.10) (see SECI allocates 42.75 MW of rooftop capacity).
India is chasing a target of 100 GW of solar power installed capacity by 2022, which is divided into 60 GW of large scale solar and 40 GW of rooftop capacity. At the end of March 2016, the country had a cumulative installed solar power capacity of 6. 7 GW (see India Overachieves Target). Most of this capacity has come from large scale PV power plants.
In March, a report by the Solar Rooftop Policy Coalition, which was released by the Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), had expressed doubt on the country being able to achieve the actual target of 40 GW. The report predicted only 13.5 GW of rooftop solar for the country by the stated year.
In December last year, the government had increased the budget earmarked for rooftop solar to 50 billion INR ($750 million) from the earlier 6 billion INR ($90 million). This money will go into developing 4.2 GW of rooftop capacity by 2020.
For more information about the tender, check the SECI website here.