THERMAL, SOLAR POWER CAN BE BUNDLED FOR ROUND-THE-CLOCK (RTC) POWER SUPPLY

THERMAL, SOLAR POWER CAN BE BUNDLED FOR ROUND-THE-CLOCK (RTC) POWER SUPPLY 

• New guidelines by the Ministry of power provides for the supply of RTC power to distributors through a Bundling Scheme, which is the first of its kind scheme in the world. 
• Bundling Scheme is a plan to sell renewable energy (RE) and thermal power in a bundle so that end users can get an uninterrupted supply of power. 
• Key guidelines: 
• Power generators have to ensure at least 85% availability both annually and during peak hours. 
• Bidders will have to supply at least 51% of the power from renewable sources. 
• Bidders can club smaller thermal projects to tie-up with their renewable projects. 
• RE components can include solar and non-solar sources such as wind, hydro, or any combination of the same. 
• Bidder will have to pay a penalty equivalent to 25% of the shortfall in energy terms. 
• Benefits of Bundling Scheme: 
• Address issues of intermittency, limited hours of supply and low capacity utilization of transmission infrastructure; 
• Facilitate grid-connected solar power generation; 
• Help states fulfill their renewable purchase obligation (RPO) etc. Under RPO, Discoms are obliged to purchase a certain percentage of electricity from RE sources. 

Source: ET