Karnataka invites solar bids worth 80 MW

Karnataka is inviting bids for solar projects worth 80 megawatts (MW). A draft of the power purchase agreements (PPAs) offered under the policy has also been released. Criticism is aimed at both the lack of experience required for developers, and the benchmark tariffs set. Under its new solar policy introduced last month, 30 MW of solar thermal and 50 MW of photovoltaic projects will be selected on the basis of the discounts offered by developers on the benchmark tariffs of INR 14.50 ($0.36) per kilowatt hour (kWh), as defined by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC). Furthermore, developers will sell their power to state distribution companies (DISCOMS). Karnataka has set the submissions deadline, for requests for selection (RfS), for October 20 2011.