SunEdison and Brakes India Limited (BIL), a leading manufacturer of Automotive and Non-Automotive Braking Systems and Ferrous Castings in India, have installed a solar power plant that will generate 7.72 MW of electricity at Brake India's facilities in Munanjipatti in the state of Tamil Nadu.
"Solar is a great way for commercial consumers in Tamil Nadu to generate reliable, low cost electricity," stated Pashupathy Gopalan, President of SunEdison Asia-Pacific. "This system also happens to be the largest solar power plant built to date under the Group Captive Scheme in India."
The system will generate more than 14 million kWh of electricity a year, which will offset more than 6% of Brakes India's electricity use. The system is built in accordance with the Group Capture Scheme legislation that was introduced by the Electricity Act of 2003, which allows customers to purchase electricity directly from an independent power provider without involving the local energy distribution company.
"This SunEdison system is built with state-of-the-art trackers which will allow us to harness more energy from the sun. This collaboration with SunEdison strongly supports our commitment to clean and renewable energy," said S. Kesavan, CEO of Brakes India.
Brakes India approached SunEdison to develop this project to be in compliance with the Solar Purchase Requirement set out by Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), which states that high tension wire customers must source 6% of their energy use from solar.
SunEdison will provide financing and install the solar system, which features advanced trackers and high efficiency solar panels to maximize the amount of electricity generated.