Premier Solar signs pact with German firm

City-based Premier Solar has signed a contract for import of 200,000 thin film modules — which can provide for generation of 20 Mw — from German manufacturer Schott Solar. Of these, Premier would receive 10 Mw worth modules in August this year, with the rest to be taken in 2012. The total value of the modules is around Rs 200 crore.

Premier Solar chairman Surender Pal Singh told a media conference here that these modules were meant for eight third-party EPC contracts it currently had in hand as well as for its own 2 Mw plant being set up in Jharkhand. The projects are part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.

 

Singh said, “The actual market will open up when we get into roof-top generation of 5 Mw to 10 Mw. Tamil Nadu has started it already, while others are not doing it because of a lack of grid parity. It is popular in Europe and could happen in India in the next couple of years.”

Premier Solar Power Tech, the company’s new EPC division, would install the photovoltaic modules in 2011 in a grid-connected system. On average, the cost per Mw for solar plants works out to Rs 14 crore, and depends on land rates in the area, said Chiranjeev Saluja, managing director of Premier Solar.

Premier manufactures solar power products and has a plant capacity of 30 Mw. India accounted for 21 per cent of its sales last year, UAE and Kenya for 12 per cent each, followed by its exports to Afghanistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The company’s revenues were Rs 60 crore in 2009-10 while this year, it expects it to reach Rs 140 crore.

Premier and Schott have been associated for eight years, as part of which Schott provided engineering and design support for plants in India.