Grid-based solutions

Tata BP Solar has pioneered grid connect systems in India. Some of the earliest grid-connect solar power plants have been set up by us. Our 110 kWp solar power system at Tata Power at Walwan near Pune which was set up in 1996, is delivering power today as planned. The plant is still generating over 390 KWH of electricity per day and the module degradation over these 13 years is still below 10%. The current modules we offer have the degradation of only 15% over the 25-year life span, which is much better than the degradations permitted in the IEC 61215 specification itself.

Tata BP has completed two large projects of 1 1and 3 megawatts in Delhi and Maharashtra respectively. In the context of the new policy regime in India to promote grid-connected solar power plants, Tata BP Solar has begun work on executing a large number of megawatt-scale projects in India. Tata BP Solar has a global engineering centre of excellence in system design for large scale solar power plants. In fact, the design and engineering back-up for most of the global MW scale solar farm projects of BP Solar have been executed in our Bangalore centre in India.

• Tata BP Solar India Ltd has presence across value chain from
• Wafer-to-cell-module-subsystems-systems-installation-maintenance-service & training
• Tata BP has a wide-spread sales and service network , 8 regional offices, and over 150 dealers and service providers.
• Tata BP Solar is the largest solar company in India with nearly 2 decades of experience
• Tata BP Solar India Ltd has world class facilities to manufacture crystalline solar cells and modules of the highest quality standards which is evident in significant exports to US and Europe over the last several years
• TBP modules are certified as per IEC 61215 (crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic modules – design qualification and type approval)
• TBP modules are certified as per IEC 61730 (photovoltaic module safety qualification, requirements for construction and testing)
• Tata BP modules are listed by UL for electrical and fire safety ( Class C fire rating) & certified by CE

Lighting Systems

Our lighting products are built-to-last. This is important, especially in rugged terrain such as Ladakh, where over 14,000 lighting systems have improved the lives of over 100,000 people. Our lighting products are cost-effective. This plays a very important role, especially in rural areas where our solar home lighting systems and solar lanterns are sold. In a path breaking initiative we have arranged bank loans for our customers in villages. Now, roughly the same amount of money that the villagers spent on kerosene lamps, is now used to pay the monthly installments for solar loans.

Our lighting products are agents of social transformation. The health indicators in the rural areas show improvement since kerosene fumes have been displaced by the solar lights. Families also become more productive with the increased number of working hours – which leads to better income generation. With our solutions, women can comfortably perform household chores and children can study at night.

Tata BP Solar has also taken initiative to provide training to the local youth in the villages where our systems are installed. This leads to local employment generation. In some cases, for example in Chhattisgarh, we have set up village level solar power plants which have become the lifeline of people who have been denied an electricity connection till date. Clearly, solar home lighting systems from Tata BP Solar are silently bringing about a social transformation in the remotest parts of India.

Businesses

Banks need reliable connectivity, which requires reliable power. In rural areas, this was a remote possibility, till Tata BP Solar stepped in with our reliable bank solution. A simple system powered up a few computers and provided connectivity for banks, benefitting the farmers greatly. We have similarly provided solar power solutions for a whole range of other businesses that include telecom towers, railways, offshore oil and gas platforms.

CSR Initiatives

Arunodaya

Arunodaya is an awareness campaign on Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation run by Tata BP Solar as a non-profit activity. This program is driven by Tata BP Solar to create awareness on energy related issues and to create a sustainable base for propagation of knowledge by strategic partnerships with schools and colleges, non-governmental organizations, community based organizations and other like minded groups of people.

Objectives

To create awareness on:

• Energy and Environment Scenario
• Relevance of Renewable Energy Sources
• Different forms of Renewable Energy Sources
• Solar Thermal and Solar Electricity Generation
• Applications of Solar Energy and Benefits
• Economics
• Energy Conversation
  

To seek Partnership with organizations/institutions with similar commitment and extend reach of the programme across the country.

Who benefits?

The programme aims at creating awareness on solar energy through lectures, discussions, case studies and product demonstrations. It benefits all those who appreciate the need to use an energy mix that includes renewable energy sources like solar. It would be of particular interest to Energy and Facility Managers, Financing Institutions, Energy Study Centres in Engineering and Science Colleges, Polytechnics and Schools, Builders and Architects, NGOs, Administrators, Environmentalists among others.

Program content

The programme is a mix of presentations and product demonstrations and contains the following:

• Energy Environment and Development
• Introduction to Renewable Energy
• Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic System
• Applications and Benefits
• Case Studies
• Energy Conservation
• Guest lecture where possible
• Product Demo / Field Visit

Faculty

The programme is designed and presented by the technical staff of Tata BP Solar who have been associated with Solar Technology for over fifteen years and have designed, installed and commissioned thousands of systems all over the country – in the remote homes in the high altitude cold desert Ladakh to the off shore oil platforms located in the rough Arabian sea.

Workshop methodology

Participative and interactive through multimedia presentations, case studies and product demonstration.

Arunodaya today

Ever since its inception in Jan 2005, the Arunodaya initiative has received a tremendous response from every section of the society. Be it schools, corporates, institutions, NGOs, builders or architects the program has received huge appreciation and has been vastly successful in making an initial impact on the thought process of people towards non-conventional energy resources. A small step that we believe would gather momentum to become a revolution in a not so distant future.

Tata BP Solar has to-date conducted Arunodaya programs across India that has benefited thousands of participants. If each participant in turn spreads the awareness of renewable energy we would have successfully initiated a silent revolution – that would soon be heard hundreds and thousands of miles away.

Changing Power Paradigms

Every living entity requires energy to function and our world can be viewed as the most intricate, living entity that we interact with. We, its inhabitants, constitute the life force of the world and it is our duty to ensure its proper functioning. For us to do this, we need vast quantities of energy, for which we turn to nature. One of the most widely and extensively used form of energy is electricity.

Energy Generation – A Brief History

Electricity generation is the process of creating electricity from other forms of energy. The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s. Initially, electricity was generated in power plants that were powered by water or by coal. However, today they are also powered by nuclear energy, natural gas, hydroelectric energy and petroleum. The Earth’s resources are abundant and have fueled civilizations for centuries, but they are being depleted at a rapid rate.

Energy Generation in India

Today, India is the 6th largest consumer of energy in the world. Over the past 3 decades, the demand for energy has grown at a rate of 3.6% per annum. We are a nation that’s hungry for electricity and we’re headed towards an energy famine. Unless we reduce our stress on the environment, the future looks very bleak, not only for India, but for the whole world.

The Future

We need to switch to a greener, renewable form of energy. We already have the energy in the form of the Sun. It is now left to us, to harness it. This is where Tata BP Solar comes in. Solar energy is one of the better solutions to the global energy crisis and Tata BP Solar is working towards making it even more viable. While launching India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change on June 30, 2008, the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh stated:

“Our vision is to make India’s economic development energy-efficient. Over a period of time, we must pioneer a graduated shift from economic activity based on fossil fuels to one based on non-fossil fuels and from reliance on non-renewable and depleting sources of energy to renewable sources of energy. In this strategy, the sun occupies centre-stage, as it should, being literally the original source of all energy. We will pool our scientific, technical and managerial talents, with sufficient financial resources, to develop solar energy as a source of abundant energy to power our economy and to transform the lives of our people. Our success in this endeavour will change the face of India. It would also enable India to help change the destinies of people around the world.”