The very first edition of the awards was successfully held at the InterSolar Exhibition in the presence of the industry´s best and brightest. Date: October 21, 2016 Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre Organiser: ASAPP Info Global Group It was sunshine all the way at the Solar Today Awards, which recognised the who´s who of the solar industry. The awards have been initiated with a focused vision to recognise people, processes and products that drive the industry forward to achieve success in a competitive market. The event began on an auspicious note with the lighting of the lamp by G Adhiseshu, Managing Director, Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Pratap Padode, Managing Director, ASAPP Info Global Group; and Sumit Banerjee, Chairman, Advisory Board, ASAPP Info Global Group. In his introductory address, Padode spoke about the business climate in the country and how despite tough times - financial and otherwise. India Inc is now moving forward in the solar sector. He stated that confidence in businesses geared towards sustainability, solar energy, and energy storage can be the game-changers the country needs. This set the perfect tone for the day, following which the expert jury panel (for the awards) discussed ´Competitive Bidding for Solar Projects in India´. Moderated by Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director, Bridge to India, the panel comprised Prafulla Pathak, Secretary General, Solar Energy Society of India; Preetam D´Souza, Partner, Kochhar & Co; Shirish S Garud, Director and Senior Fellow, TERI; and Santosh Janakiram, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. While coming to a general consensus that competitiveness in the solar field has drastically brought down solar costs, thus making it more financially competitive, the panel expressed the view that the viability of such projects is now under question and the structure essentially eliminates smaller players from venturing anywhere close. This heated discussion was followed by the awards ceremony. The parameters considered for selecting the companies included their grid-connected projects above 1 MW, AC capacity numbers available, and the capacity commissioned in the past 12 months. For the first six awards in the categories of Utility Scale Solar (Project Developer and EPC Contractor), Rooftop Solar (Project Developer and EPC Contractor), and Module Manufacturer and Inverter Manufacturer, winners were decided purely based on size or capacity. The top three players were adjudged on the basis of data collected by Bridge to India. The latter four awards in the categories of Top Manufacturer in India û Quality and Cost Competitiveness; Best Innovation in the Sector; Best Start-Up in the Sector; and Emerging State were selected by the jury panel, based on discussions conducted and nominations received. Here, for the Jury´s Choice Award for Manufacturer in India (Composite) û Quality and Competitiveness, the factors considered were a strong reputation for quality, ability to compete internationally and whether the company was among the top 10 players by virtue of size and volume. The event ended with the keynote address by G Adhiseshu, who laid emphasis on the importance of solar energy and explained how the Andhra Pradesh Government is augmenting its plan to add 4,107 MW of solar power capacity from FY2017 to FY2022 and has set the target of achieving 2,000 MW of solar rooftop energy by 2022. He exhorted the segment players present at the event to take advantage of this and move forward with confidence. The 1st Solar Today Awards unveiled the winners, as listed: Utility Scale Solar-Project Developer: 1st: Adani Green Energy 2nd: Acme Utility Scale Solar-EPC contractor: 1st: Mahindra Susten 2nd: Sterling and Wilson 3rd: L&T Rooftop Solar-Project Developer: 1st: CleanMax Solar 2nd: Amplus Energy Solutions Rooftop Solar-EPC: 1st: Tata Power Solar System 2nd: Su-Kam Power Systems 3rd: Hero Future Energies Top Manufacturer (Module): Vikram Solar Top Manufacturer (Inverter): ABB India Jury´s Choice Award Best Manufacturer in India (Composite): Vikram Solar Best Innovation in the solar sector: Su-Kam Power Systems Best Start-Up in the solar sector: OMC Power Emerging State in the Solar Sector: Andhra Pradesh