SolarMills to be deployed for industrial use in India

ACC is due to roll out 3MW of solar power to supplement energy supply across 12 of its plants. This follows a successful pilot of solar mills conducted by WindStream Technologies.

According to a press release by WindStream Technologies, ACC tested the solar mills at its facility in Thondebavi in early 2013 and deemed solar a cost-effective way of meeting its fossil fuel offset requirement. Earlier In February, Sustainability Outlook reported ACC Cement's procurement of renewable energy from at least 5 different energy companies at the national launch of the Green Power Market Development Group.

WindStream Technologies, an international energy services provider, is looking to significantly step up its activities in India in 2014. In addition to working with energy-intensive Indian manufacturers, it is seeking accreditations for a range of clean energy products to enable participation in government programs, and for potential customers to avail government incentives on authorised products.

Following the Indian government's mandate that manufacturers who derive their power from fossil fuels must offset 5% of total energy use with renewable sources, the market for renewable energy service providers is improving. However, the poor enforcement of such mandates remains a hurdle in this industry. 

In addition to industrial applications, renewable energy providers are also catalysing the distributed (off-grid) renewable energy sector. The substitution of diesel telecom towers with renewable energy sources has been the dominant trend in this sector, however, new variants appear to be emerging. For example, WindStream has already been involved in early phases of projects for the Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) in terms of finding opportunities to roll-out battery-supported clean energy products to support for internet-connectivity in 250,000+ rural villages.  

Other details on WindStream Technologies' planned activities in India can be found here.

Image credits: Vinoth Chandar