Regen Renewables: Paving the way for a brighter future with sustainable and efficient green energy Solutions in both commercial and domestic markets
Regen Renewables (Pvt) Ltd prides itself on being one of the leading Solar Energy Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Company in Sri Lanka with around a decade of experience in the industry.
One of Regen Renewables’ long-term goal is to encourage more households, corporate offices, factories and other establishments to switch to solar energy–a sustainable, clean, green and efficient option for electricity. Other long-term goals of the company include providing a reliable solution to Sri Lanka’s electricity and energy crisis and the country’s growing demand for electricity and energy.
Its vision: To become the preferred sustainable energy partner in solar energy trade and energy trading markets while maximizing shareholder value. Its mission: Supporting customers, the key stakeholders, with maximum care, to save the environment for the next generation, while delivering the latest technologies and best engineering practices in a rapidly developing industry, through collaborative relationships with its suppliers and empowered employees who possess the best skills and knowledge.
Regen Renewables prides itself on its Hybrid Solar Power System; an on-grid and off-grid solution which can be used even during the daily power cuts that domestic consumers must endure.
According to the group’s Project Manager Sanjaya Rathnayake
Regen Renewables was the first company in Sri Lanka to conduct a test with this hybrid system along with the Ceylon Electricity Board, the United Nations Development Programme and the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority in 2018.
Regen Renewables wants to encourage more commercial consumers to invest in a Hybrid Solar Power System which synchronizes diesel generators with rechargeable, solar powered lithium phosphate batteries, as a solution to the hours-long power cuts and the diesel price hikes and shortages that occur sometimes.
“Customers who have already purchased a rooftop solar power system cannot use their systems during a power cut, because the
CEB has mandated that the national power grid should be available for such systems to function. During a power cut our customers’ systems are idling for hours, so we introduced the hybrid system,” said the group’s Director and CTO Champika Periyapperuma.
“When the national grid is not available the electricity generated through rooftop solar panels goes to waste. With the DG solar hybrid system customers get two benefits: Electricity generated during that time is not wasted but consumed internally during power cuts, reducing the massive cost incurred on diesel,” Eng. Periyapperuma added.
“Domestic users have a surplus of electricity in their households as many of them use their devices only in the evening and at night. We try to match the energy consumption of each household or ensure there is a surplus. So customers not only consume electricity, they also produce surplus electricity which is added to the national grid, and then consumed by other electricity users,” he said.
Moreover, Regen Renewables emphasizes on the initial design and installation processes for its rooftop solar systems, as the systems are designed and guaranteed to function for at least 20 years. It assures existing and potential customers that all components of its systems from solar panels and inverters–the key components of any solar power energy solution–to cables, protective devices and balance of system components, are of the highest quality and insulated against electricity surges and other issues.
“More than focusing on after sales services, we focus on getting it right from the start with a clear and efficient design and system that works well, with minimum issues,” he reiterated.
SLS standards are adhered to and chartered engineers and technicians are employed to carry out the designing, installing and after sales technical and maintenance services of Regen Renewables solar power systems, he added.
Mr. Periyapperuma also advised customers to take care of their solar panels—which need to be washed periodically with water— and at least twice a year, Regen Renewables’ engineers or technicians need to check the electrical health of each system.
“When engineers or technicians look into the systems, they check all components to make sure what we pledged to our customers in terms of energy delivery has been met. If there is a reduction in energy delivery and efficiency the engineers or technicians check to see if there are any technical issues,” he added.
Moreover, Regen Renewables is one of the principal distributors for SIEMENS KACO a top-of-the-line inverter produced in Germany and is the authorised service partner for SIEMENS KACO in Sri Lanka. Regen Renewables’ engineers and technicians are trained in Germany to handle issues and servicing related to these inverters. Its solar panels are from Suntech Power which is a Bloomberg Tier-1 solar panel known for its high quality for over 21 years. Regen has been the sole distributor for Suntech solar panels in Sri Lanka since 2013.
Regen Renewables also has other complementary inverters, solar panels and other equipment to ensure a complete product offering for its customers that would stand the test of time and produce the energy that has been pledged to its customers.
“We visit the factories where all our components are made, before we enter into any agreements. Customers who value a longterm product will look forward to making a purchase from us, because we design and install our rooftop solar power systems for 20 years,” Mr. Periyapperuma reiterated.
According to him, if the government does not invest in the production of electricity through solar power and other renewable sources, Sri Lanka’s energy costs are only going to keep increasing further.
“At the moment, 65% of the electricity added to the national grid is produced by fossil fuel, and the remaining electricity is produced through renewable resources such as Hydropower, Solar power, Wind power and Bio Mass. Ideally it should be the other way around and 70% should have come from RE instead and if that was the case we would not be speaking about this scale of a consumer tariff hike,” he said.
Adding to this Mr. Periyapperuma said; “Sri Lanka has a target of meeting 70% of the demand for electricity through renewable energy by 2030, but at the moment only 35% of the demand is supplied with electricity produced through renewable sources. Out of this 35%, rooftop solar solutions account for only around 2% which could be expanded to a 20% of the entire annual energy requirement. Without any extension to the existing national grid, the contribution of rooftop solar solutions can increase from 2% to around 20%, as it is a distributed source of energy production.”
Presently, industrial and commercial clients are the biggest consumers of rooftop solar power systems from Regen Renewables, and domestic users are few because of the high system and bank interest cost.
“But we are at a crucial juncture, because the rooftop tariff is being reviewed and solar energy prosumers are demanding for a higher rate. Moreover, since electricity tariffs were increased in September, consumers saw around 70% increase in their electricity bills. So we noticed more interest from domestic users,” Mr. Periyapperuma elaborated.
Accordingly, in October the Cabinet approved to revise the current two-tier tariff rates of Rs. 22.00 and Rs. 15.50 to a flat rate of Rs. 37.00 for rooftop solar projects of less than 500 kW, and the tariff rate for rooftop solar projects of more than 500 kW has been amended to Rs. 34.50. Tariff rates will be effective for 20 years and will be adjusted annually based on a pricing formula, Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said a few weeks ago.
Regen Renewables also hopes to expand its products and services to overseas regions, to bring in more foreign revenue and support Sri Lanka’s economy to reduce the balance of payment gap, the country is going through. It will actively pursue certain foreign markets from next year onwards.