MNRE Invites Consultants to Assess Phase 2 of Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Program

Under its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), India is committed to increasing the share of installed capacity of electric power from non-fossil-fuel sources to 40% by 2030. And solar energy is one of the major sources to achieve this target. The government of India has set an ambitious target of 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, out of which 40 GW is to be achieved from rooftop solar (RTS).

In 2019, the government approved phase-II of the “Grid Connected Rooftop and Small Solar Power Plants Programme” for achieving a total capacity of 40 GW RTS plants by 2022, for which DISCOMs and its local offices have been decided to be the implementation agencies.

The major components of MNRE phase ii program are: -

➮ Component A: Setting up of 4000 MW of grid connected rooftop solar projects in residential sector with Central Financial Assistance (CFA)

➮ Component B: Incentives to Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) based on achievement towards initial 18000 MW of grid connected rooftop solar plants

Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a notification seeking expressions of interest (EoI) to assess phase II of the grid-connected rooftop solar initiative which will reckon the execution of program components A and B by gathering information from state implementing agencies, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. This assessment is a part of the National Solar Mission, which aims to reach 40 GW of capacity with grid-connected rooftop solar systems by 2022.

The study will also analyze the field results of deployed projects, identify potential problems in existing implementation processes, evaluate the performance of these modules for various stakeholders, and offer suggestions on further scaling up the program along with necessary changes to the scheme’s development process.

Who Can Bid?

➮ Consultants or consulting firms with at least five years of experience and an average annual turnover of at least Rs 1.5 crore per year in the past three years will be considered for bidding.

➮ The consulting firms will be selected based on their prior experience in conducting similar sorts of research, the strength of their staff, and the consultation firms’ financial stability.

Following the examination of the EOI replies and subsequent shortlisting, the selected consulting companies will be asked to submit comprehensive proposals in response to the RFP. The study’s final report must be submitted within 60 days of the job being awarded.