Amonix, Thermax bring CPV to India

Amonix, Thermax bring CPV to IndiaThe Indian solar market is heating up as the world’s second-most populous country works to modernize its energy infrastructure. Now Amonix, Inc. has partnered with Thermax Limited to bring its concentrated photovoltaics (CPVs) to the Indian solar market. As such, they may be the first companies to install a CPV array in the country.

Companies like Amonix and Canadian Solar are looking into the Indian market to help meet the needs of the Indian National Solar Mission. Under the first phase, the government plans to commission 1,000 megawatts of grid-connected solar projects by 2013, according to Amonix.

“India is a fast-developing solar energy market with multi-level policy support from state and federal governments. We applaud the Indian government’s National Solar Mission promoting sustainable growth with federal targets of 20 gigawatts of solar installations in the country by 2022,” said Carla Pihowich, vice president of marketing and regulatory for Amonix. “Also, since land cost is high in India, CPV is the ideal solar choice since it utilizes land better and has the highest energy density, producing more energy per acre than any other solar technology.”

The company is first of the starting block in the CPV industry to enter the Indian market, according to Pihowich.

“Amonix is the first CPV company to announce an exclusive partnership with a leading, established engineering, procurement and construction firm. This partnership will allow Amonix CPV solar power systems to be deployed throughout high-DNI [i.e., direct normal insolation] regions of India,” she said.

CPVs are intended for high DNI regions to get the most out of sunny areas and the high-efficiency, high-cost photovoltaics. In India, these DNI regions include areas like Gujarat, Rajasthan and other areas with a high level of sunshine, according to Pihowich.

Under the partnership, Amonix will offer its CPV systems and Thermax will serve as its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) in India. Amonix also said it will manufacture systems in India close to future deployments. At this point, however, it has not completed any projects in India, and it doesn’t announce projects until they’re commissioned, Pihowich said.

Image courtesy of Amonix.