Soon after Maharashtra invited bids for 500 megawatt (MW) of solar power on May 7, state-run Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) has floated a tender to purchase 500 MW of additional electricity from wind-solar hybrid projects. In a wind-solar hybrid project, at least one third of the generation capacity is based on either wind or solar energy. Maharashtra will sign a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the lowest bidder participating in the auction.
The hybrid policy was launched in 2018, primarily to overcome the challenges posed by the intermittent nature of wind and solar power plants. The model envisaged configuring wind turbines and solar systems at same grid connection points for optimal utilisation of power generating and transmission capacities.
