Swiss Partners
Candi solar AG, Horgen
www.candi.solar
Philippe Flamand
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Documentation
Swiss Contribution
Candi solar brings its financing, legal and technical know-how, as well as business concept, to the local partners who in turn provide local expertise, construction and maintenance capabilities. Montavent provides a unique slide-in solution to mounting, which eliminates the use of screws and thus speeds up installation and de-installation.
Description
Schools and small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in India face high and rising power prices. They rely on dirty grid power (largely coal-fired) and back-up diesel power whilst lacking access to the financing which would allow them to install solar power on their currently unused rooftops.
Within this project, Candi solar installed solar energy for sev- eral SMEs, for an intended total power of 600 kWp. There are zero upfront costs for SMEs, and they have been paying for power over time. SMEs will thereby own a productive clean energy generating asset in as little as 10 years, whilst saving themselves money from day one (given the lower cost of solar power vs. the grid). This also forms an important demonstration project for a new approach: Candi solar has signed a uniquely designed power purchase agreement (PPA) and utilizes an innovative mounting technology; so that if the clients go bankrupt, the system can be removed at very low cost and redeployed with another SME. This effectively reduces the projects’ risk profile and overcomes financing hurdles.
Results
The Indian contractor’s feedback on Montavent has been consistently positive, whereas there is still a need for optimisation for a second, tested assembly system. With over 10 MWp currently in operation, the planned 600 kWp installed capacity has been exceeded many times over.
Impacts
Presently, around 14 GWh of clean energy is produced annually. This is beneficial to the 30 institutional customers, as well as to the surrounding population, due to the amount of CO2 savings. Furthermore, Candi now employs 60 people in India, South Africa and Switzerland.