Concentrated solar power (CSP) market and potential in India; Saint Gobain Glass India

Abstract

The summer internship location was the Saint Gobain World Glass Complex at Sri Perumbdur in Chennai. The internship duration was about eight weeks. The internship required me to conduct the study of Concentrated Solar Power Market and Potential in India. Concentrated Solar Power technology provides the answer to India's growing energy needs and energy security. The sun is abundant source of energy and provides zero emission energy production. With the announcement of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the Govt. of India has set an ambitious target of 20 GW of solar electricity generation by year 2020. CSP provides a promising route to achieve this objective. In such a scenario, an understanding of CSP market and potential in India becomes crucial. The first week of the internship was devoted to the understanding of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and its implications, and presenting my understanding of the mission to my guide. The next step was to understand the various CSP (concentrated solar power) technologies, their relative advantages and disadvantages. After gathering a sufficient understanding of CSP through secondary research, I was required to conduct a primary study to get knowledge of the current status of the technology. I travelled to cities Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, and Gurgaon. The project involved meeting with various developers, academicians, and government regulatory bodies to get a first hand understanding of the concentrated solar power market in India, to tl1l;derstand the research work being carried out in India, activities of major developers, and role of the various state and central regulatory bodies in promoting CSP in India. The work done was presented in the midterm review. In the final phase of the project, a detailed financial analysis of CSP technologies was carried out. Risks faced by developers owing to variations in DNI (Daily Normal Irradiation), CapEx (Capital Expenditure) and CUF (Capacity Utilization Factor) were studied. An understanding of major determ.:inants of annual solar to electric efficiency was also undertaken. The results were presented during the final presentation to Managing Director, Mr. B Santhanam, Marketing Director, Marketing Managers, and Marketing team members.