SEMI India benchmarks India's NSM on global FIT best practices

SEMI India organized a panel discussion in Bangalore, India, today to discuss public policy principles on feed-In tariffs (FITs) and their relevance to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JN NSM).

L-R: Dr. J Gururaja, Honorary Executive President, REAF (Renewable Energy Advocacy Forum), K. Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar and Chair, SEMI India PV Advisory Committee, and Sathya Prasad, President, SEMI India.

SEMI India also released a white paper on the policy principles and recommended global best practices for solar FITs, with comments on its relevance to the Indian context.

The paper was released jointly by Sathya Prasad, along with K. Subramanya, CEO, Tata BP Solar and Chair, SEMI India PV Advisory Committee, and Dr. J Gururaja, Honorary Executive President, REAF (Renewable Energy Advocacy Forum).

I believe the paper can be downloaded from the SEMI/PV Group’s website.

A feed-in tariff (FIT) is said to be a “Government policy to encourage adoption of renewable energy by requiring regional or national electric utilities to buy electricity from renewable sources at above-market rates.” If you look at the global FIT statistics, 37 countries adopted FITs in 2008, which now stands at 45 countries.

According to Sathya Prasad, president SEMI India, policy drives the solar PV market. For instance, over 80 percent of 2008 PV demand came from the FIT supported market.

Key findings from the white paper include:

* India’s JN-NSM framework compares favorably with long-established successful FIT regime (Germany, etc).

* The FIT must be continued until grid parity is achieved,

* Following FIT best practices ensures lower policy cost, faster ramp of manufacturing and growth of PV market.

* Efficient execution/implementation of JN-NSM is crucial.

More details later! Keep watching!

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