UBM India successfully concluded the 12th edition of Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo, the three day (18th – 20th September 2018) show at the India Expo Center, Greater Noida. This year, the show focused on approaching renewables in a more holistic manner, with due consideration to wind, hydropower and biomass along with solar energy. The expo witnessed over 750+ exhibitors participation from 45 countries, with over 1,000 delegates and 225 speakers at the 37 conference sessions.

The event was well supported by European Union India – Clean Energy & Climate Days and Business Beyond Borders (BBB), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), European Business Technology Center (EBTC), Euro Chambers, Bloomberg News Energy Finance, Bridge to India, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS), Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA), TFE Consulting GmbH, PV magazine and Indian Biogass Association and German Biogass Association (IBA and GBA), among others, joining in the rich conference domain themed ‘Accelerating Momentum...From Ambition to Action’.

The event witnessed new product showcases including charging stations, frameless glass to glass panels, solar inverters, solar kit solutions, bi-facial modules and testing lab facilities. There was an increased presence of floating solar equipment makers, demonstrating the growing demand for such projects in the country. Business to Business (B2B) meetings were facilitated in two separate zones to enable focused and well-directed match-making. Various subjects ranging from viability of manufacturing, large-scale project development challenges caused by land and transmission bottlenecks, Rooftop challenges caused by DISCOM’s, low bids, payment issues, net-metering, and financing were discussed.

REI 2018 also showcased bolstering Start-ups and SMEs with the launch of Sunrisers Pavilion, Session on Advantage Telangana, crucial industry dialogues in the form of CEO Roundtable, Financial Leadership Forum, Quality & Future Round Table, 5th Indo-German Energy Symposium, EU – India Clean Energy & Climate Days and International Matchmaking, and the 4th edition of Renewable Energy India Awards to recognize the Innovation & Excellence in the field of Renewable Energy.

Commenting on the successful conclusion of the show, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “Over the years, REI has duly acquired a unique dynamism and influence as a comprehensive global platform for the RE domain addressing these challenges and aiding India’s green mission. This year was remarkable, with intense global participation in the form of renowned forums such as Business Beyond Borders, European Business Technology Center (EBTC), European Commission, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), European Union, and more. REI also witnessed a pre-bidding meet by the Govt. Of Madhya Pradesh for its project RESCO and a session – Advantage Telangana by the Govt. Of Telangana which made it one of the must-attend event for green energy professionals in India and across the globe.”

Industry Speaks and New Launches at REI 2018:

Nitin Sharma, Raychem RPG said “This past year has been fairly tumultuous and at the same time exciting for the industry. We are particularly excited by the progress we have made in expanding our portfolio and strengthening our partnerships. We commissioned India’s first MW scale Energy Storage Project – Integrating Grid, Solar and Diesel generator to provide quality and stable power to load and partnered with Dynapower, USA for Energy Storage Power Conversion System for technology collaboration. We were nominated as Knowledge Partner to International Solar Alliance (ISA) for Energy Storage System. We also launched an integrated Small Scale Energy Storage System – upto 15 KW, Launched Solar and Energy Storage Kits upto 20 KW installation & eBOS for larger applications and engineered solutions like Optimizer, DG-PV Controller and other interesting products for customers. Through REI, we connected and demonstrated exciting solution ranges to leap into brighter and sunnier future.”

Saurabh Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, SolarMaxx said “REI, as in the past, proved to be a tremendous platform for the RE sector to come together and witness new technology and product launches. Our brand, SolarMaxx, once again received an overwhelming response from the industry. Our high efficiency modules, especially the half-cut cell modules were particularly appreciated. We look forward to many more such events by UBM.

Mr. Rishi Seth, Joint Managing Director, HPL Electric & Power Ltd said, “REI Expo layers an outstanding platform to showcase our latest BOS (Balance of System) product range and offerings in renewable energy, along with the hands on experience of our latest technology. REI Expo is also a meeting place for some of the major suppliers, consultants and industry experts, even what also amazes us is that the relevant people from different states and power utilities are present to witness the showcased products.”

He further added, “We are showcasing two new products at the expo namely Solar home Light Solution and Solar Inverter equipped with latest technology and modern designs. Our Solar home light solution is an energy solution which is specially designed for remote and rural areas. It is a highly portable product that requires negligible maintenance and perfect for outdoor activities. The second product which we are displaying at the Expo, Solar Inverter is a transformer less Inverter with 97% Efficiency. It comes with remote monitoring features enabling the user to operate the device wherever they are located and also ensure the greater security & better performance. This exceptional product has a twin MPPT charge controller in order to optimize sun light utilization at all times and is embedded with IP 65 which makes it suitable for outdoor application. Being a battery less inverter, it is quite cost effective as compared to OFF Grid invertors.”

Mr. Vinay Shetty, Managing Director, Canadian Solar Energy Private Limited said “In line with its global policy to offer highest quality premium modules to its customers world wide with a sole objective to make solar energy more and more affordable and continuously drive down the LCOE, Canadiansolar has launched their most premium  highest efficiency module  - HiKu series 405Wp Poly PERC Module, HiDM series modules  -  410Wp Mono PERC Module and 365Wp BiKu series Poly PERC Bifacial Modules in REI Expo 2018.”

To demonstrate their commitment to Indian customers, They are the first company to announce BIS Certification in India for their China and Thailand factory made modules. As per BTI, Canadiansolar Ranks No.1 in India for the period of October 2017 to September 2018. As per Canadiansolar, Poly PERC is more sustainable product compared to Mono PERC, in terms of lower manufacturing cost, systems cost, higher energy yield and lower LCOE.

Rajaram Pai, business leader – South Asia & ASEAN, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions

“With the increasing deployment of solar energy in India, the quality of each and every component matters to help ensure investment stability for all stakeholders to continue investing in this form of energy for long term. Our vast experience in the global solar industry enables us to bring market leading PV materials that provide high efficiency, high reliability solutions to our customers.” said Rajaram Pai, Business Leader – South Asia & ASEAN, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions. “Winning the REI Award 2018 for International Excellence is of great significance to us as we continue to work together with industry partners to help build a robust quality infrastructure for India’s sustainable clean energy future”, Pai added.

Mr. Jamie Yang, Director, Can Solar Inc. said “At REI 2018, we displayed the Solar Storage system – ‘Solar Power Bank for Home’ – 2kW / 2.5kWh and a Solar DC combiner box that doesn’t require wiring. REI Expo’s new International Matchmaking feature helped us set up meetings prior to the show. Also, the visitors that showed up says a lot about the blooming Renewable market in India.”

RenewSys, the first integrated manufacturer of Solar PV Modules and its key components launched India’s first & only such initiative, the RenewSys Module Wellness Programme that will allow customers to test their PV module health at the RenewSys’ Reliability Lab at Zero cost.