A 1 MW solar photovoltaic plant has been commissioned in Kadiri, Andhra Pradesh, India. Solar Integration Systems India (Solarsis) and Abound Solar, a manufacturer of thin-film photovoltaic modules, have announced the commissioning, which happened on January 14, 2012.
Earlier, Abound Solar and Solarsis had entered a partnership to target the Indian solar market. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) had commissioned the solar project which is part of the Rooftop and Other Small Solar Power Generation Plant (RPSSGP) Scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
Solarsis’ racking and mounting solution and Abound Solar’s cost-effective solar modules were utilized in the project. Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film modules produced by Abound Solar were used. This is the first such utilization of CdTe modules in Andhra Pradesh. The combination of the racking solution and the CdTe modules has reduced the solar project’s balance-of-system (BoS) cost.
The President and CEO of Abound Solar, Craig Witsoe stated that the performance of the company’s CdTe thin-film panels in the Indian climate has made the country as a crucial market for its solar panels. The company has made effective utilization of U.S. Export-Import Bank financing. Solarsis has provided expertise on the local industry and the project, he added.
The CEO of Solarsis, Venkat Rajaraman stated that the solar plant will provide data about its operations under the CdTe thin-film technology and its performance in India’s climatic conditions.