Titan Energy launches operations at first solar farm

India-based Titan Energy Systems is now feeding energy to India's electric grid from a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm in Jamuria, West Bengal—one of the largest solar projects in the country.

The news came today from Atlanta, Ga.-based solar cell manufacturer Suniva, which signed a $480 million deal last year to supply crystalline solar cells to Titan through 2013. The Indian manufacturer is using the cells to make solar modules and specialty PV products (see Suniva signs $480 million deal with India's Titan Energy).

Titan plans to expand the plant by 250 kilowatts in early 2009. Last week, Titan reported $7.1 million in sales for the first nine months of 2009—an increase of more than 20 percent over the same period in 2008.

Titan has focused its efforts on the Andhra Pradesh region of India. Titan announced plans earlier this month to form a joint venture with Belgian renewable energy project developer Enfinity Management to install 1 gigawatt of solar projects in Andhra Pradesh during the next five years. Titan plans to supply PV modules, while Enfinity plans to develop and finance the installations.

Suniva said today it plans to partner with Titan on the Andhra Pradesh projects.

Titan's Jamuria project is one of the largest operational solar plants in India, which has almost no grid-connected solar power. In September, Dishergarh Power Supply said it began operations at a 2-MW grid-connected solar PV project in Jamuria at the site of an abandoned 6-MW coal-based thermal power plant (see India connects first solar power plant).

India has seen a flurry of solar announcements since the government first announced its goal of 20 GW of solar to be installed by 2020 (see India’s new climate plan aims to set 20 GW solar goal). Just last week, government officials finalized the target, which is projected to cost $19 billion, including a first-phase goal of up to 1.5 GW by 2012. 

Suniva says its thin solar cells reduce the need for expensive silicon. The company says its manufacturing process uses optimized metalization techniques and proprietary process innovations, also reducing the time and cost to commercialize new solar technology by developing its designs in incremental stages (see Cleantech industry in the U.S. South emerging from stealth). 

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