Concrete

The 1st Solar Today Awards 2016

Published

9 years ago

October 31, 2016

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The very first Solar Today Awards 2016 was successfully held at the InterSolar Exhibition in Mumbai on October 21, 2016, in the presence of the industry’s best and brightest.

The Solar Today Awards 2016 function began with the lighting of the lamp by G Adhiseshu, Managing Director, Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Private Ltd; Pratap Padode, Managing Director, ASAPP Info Global Group and Sumit Banerjee, Chairman, Advisory Board, ASAPP Info Global Group.

This was followed up with an introductory address by Padode, wherein he spoke about the business climate in the country and how despite tough times – financially and otherwise – India Inc is now moving forward in the solar sector. He stated confidence in businesses geared towards sustainability, solar energy and energy storage, which can be the game changers that the country needs.

After the address, an expert panel comprising 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 and moderated by Vinay Rustagi, Managing Director, Bridge to India, discussed ‘Competitive bidding for solar projects in India’.

While coming to a general consensus that competition in the solar field has drastically brought down solar costs, thus making it more financially competitive, they further felt that viability of such projects is now under question and the structure essentially eliminates smaller players from venturing anywhere near the sector.

The main event on the itinerary for the evening – the awards ceremony – was conducted next. Parameters for the basis of selection for companies were considerations on their grid-connected projects above 1 MW, AC capacity numbers where available and capacity commissioned in the last 12 months.

For the first six awards – Utility Scale Solar (Project Developer and EPC Contractor); Rooftop Solar (Project Developer and EPC Contractor); Module Manufacturer and Inverter Manufacturer – winners were decided purely based on the size or capacity. The decision of the top three players has been adjudged on the basis of data collected by Bridge to India.

The latter four awards – Top Manufacturer in India – Quality and Cost Competitiveness; Best Innovation in the Sector; Best Start-up in the Sector and Emerging State – were selected by the Jury, based on discussions conducted and the nominations received. Here, for the Jury’s Choice Award for Manufacturer in India (Composite) – Quality and Competitiveness, the factors considered were strong reputation for quality, ability to compete internationally and whether the company is amongst the Top 10 players in the country, by virtue of size and volume.

The winners of the 1st inaugural Solar Today Awards 2016:

Utility Scale Solar- Project Developer – Adani Green Energy Ltd (Largest)
Utility Scale Solar- Project Developer – Acme (Second Largest)
Utility Scale Solar – EPC contractor: Mahindra Susten Pvt Ltd (Largest)
Utility Scale Solar – EPC contractor: Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd (Second Largest)
Utility Scale Solar – EPC contractor: L&T (Third Largest)
Rooftop Solar – Project Developer: CleanMax Solar (Largest)
Rooftop Solar – Project Developer: Amplus Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd (Second Largest)
Rooftop Solar – EPC: Tata Power Solar System Ltd (Largest)
Rooftop Solar – EPC: Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd (Second Largest)
Rooftop Solar – EPC: Hero Future Energies Ltd (Third Largest)
Top Manufacturer (Module): Vikram Solar Pvt Ltd
Top Manufacturer (Inverter): ABB India Ltd
Jury’s Choice Award for Best Manufacturer in India (Composite): Vikram Solar Pvt Ltd
Jury’s Choice Award for Best Innovation in the solar sector: Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd
Jury’s Choice Award for Best Start-up in the solar sector: OMC Power
Emerging State in the solar sector: Andhra Pradesh

The ceremony ended on a high note with a keynote address by Adhiseshu, who spoke on the importance of solar and how the Andhra Pradesh government is augmenting its plan to add 4,107 MW of solar power capacity during FY17 to FY22 and has set a target of achieving 2,000 MW of solar rooftop by 2022. He extorted the segment players present at the event to take advantage of this and move forwards confidently.

Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

1 week ago

April 1, 2026

admin

The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

2 weeks ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.