RE PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT
RE Project development is a commercial activity which inevitably involves risk, time and financial as well as political resources. The project developer typically initiates new solar power projects and retains ownership of them during at least the early stages of development. Project development activities usually include site selection, negotiations with the landowner, the permit application and grid connection, and acquisition of financial resources.
The project developer often arranges the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor through either in-house capacity or hires a firm specializing in EPC. The EPC is responsible for engineering and design, procurement of PV systems and other balance of plant equipment and materials, and construction and commissioning of generation facilities.
The project developer also typically identifies a suitable power off-taker. Based on MNRE’s estimates, project development and EPC account for Ninety to Ninety-five percent of total project costs, the fraction can vary by project size and mounting type.
The land acquisition & rights needed to build a utility-scale PV project can be acquired through easement, lease, or fee title, depending on the project location and current owner of the land. For example, on Govt. / Individual / Trust / Group land, sometimes a right-of-way may be granted under National Land Utilization Policy (NLUP) notified by Dept. Of Land Resources (DLR) or by the Local designated State Agency / Authority, if the proposed project is consistent with the land-use planning of the Dept. Of Land Resources (DLR) or by the Local designated State Agency / Authority.
The Solar Resource Analysis is to determine if a site has sufficient solar resources, and to project the amount of energy it will be able to produce, in order to determine the size and economic viability of the project and to inform negotiations with potential power off-takers. Solar resource analysis can be conducted using public data sources (e.g., MNRE / National Solar Radiation Data Base) or independent solar resource analysts can be hired to perform this task.
All necessary Permissions & Approvals are required to develop a project; which are now centralized & single window operated by a individual Nodal Agency for Green Energy Open Access.