Multi-Site Solar Procurement Strategy India: Portfolio Scorecard and RFP

Do not issue one technology-neutral request and pick the lowest ₹/kWh. Score each site for load, roof, tenure, state rules, credit and attribute needs; assign CAPEX, RESCO, open access, group captive or certificates; then normalize delivery, charges, escalation, curtailment and attributes.

Key Takeaways

• Build one verified portfolio data room before asking developers for solutions.
• Select a commercial route per site; “one model everywhere” usually ignores state and property constraints.
• Compare delivered cost and risk, not PPA tariff or EPC ₹/W alone.
• Freeze common assumptions for generation, grid charges, losses, inflation and commissioning dates.
• Contract renewable attributes, registry evidence and retirement explicitly; electricity and claims are not automatically bundled.
• Award in tranches with site-specific conditions precedent and a portfolio governance owner.

What should the portfolio decision process produce?

Produce a site-route matrix, approved claim boundary and RFP with comparable pricing. Keep a reserve route per site. A leased warehouse may need off-site supply or certificates; a strong owned factory may favour CAPEX.

How do you build a clean multi-site data room?

Collect bills, interval data, sanctioned load, contract demand, tariff, meters, SLD, transformer ratings, operating calendar, forecast, roof drawings, property documents, coordinates and past utility applications. Date datasets and identify gaps.

Create a state-rule register with owner, source link, effective date and next review. Include open-access eligibility, application sequence, transmission/wheeling charges, cross-subsidy and additional surcharges where applicable, losses, banking, scheduling, standby treatment and captive compliance. Do not copy one state’s economics into another.

Who owns data quality?

Facilities validates operations and roof facts; energy management reconciles consumption; finance approves tariffs and escalation; legal verifies property and entities; sustainability defines claims. Procurement controls the single bidder Q&A log. A developer may identify gaps, but should not silently replace buyer assumptions.

Which route fits each site?

When does rooftop CAPEX fit?

Use CAPEX where the buyer controls a suitable roof for the asset life, has capital, uses daytime generation and accepts O&M risk. Compare installed scope, strengthening, approvals, degradation and replacement reserves. See the model comparison.

When does rooftop RESCO fit?

RESCO can fit a creditworthy consumer seeking no upfront investment and predictable energy pricing. Test roof tenure, minimum offtake, deemed generation, access, change in law, termination compensation and handback. Use the RESCO/OPEX guide and require an executable landlord direct agreement for leased sites.

When does open access fit?

Open access may serve larger loads or constrained roofs through an off-site plant, subject to state-specific eligibility, charges, losses, scheduling, banking and approvals. The Ministry of Power’s Green Energy Open Access Amendment Rules, 2023 form part of the central framework, but actual economics still require current state commission orders and licensee procedures. Review the open-access guide.

When does group captive fit?

Group captive can suit buyers able to invest equity and maintain applicable captive ownership and consumption conditions. It adds governance, shareholder, offtake and annual compliance risk. Model under-consumption, transfer restrictions, default and true-up. The group-captive guide explains the structure; counsel should test the live arrangement and entity facts.

When is an EAC route appropriate?

Energy attribute certificates can support defined renewable-electricity claims where physical supply is impractical, if they meet the buyer’s reporting criteria and are uniquely retired for the relevant load, geography and period. They do not physically reduce a site bill. The RE100 technical criteria and appendices are a voluntary reporting framework, not Indian electricity law; use only if relevant to the buyer’s commitment.

How should sites be scored without false precision?

Score each route 0–3 for feasibility, savings resilience, implementation time, tenure match, management burden, credit/capital fit and claim quality. Add “fatal constraint” flags that cannot be averaged away. For example, missing roof rights defeats rooftop RESCO regardless of attractive tariff.

Hold a cross-functional review and record evidence beside every score. Use ranges until utility and site studies mature. Portfolio ranking should distinguish “ready to RFP,” “conditional,” “needs investigation” and “not currently viable.”

What must a multi-site RFP contain?

Issue site schedules and common forms. Require route, entities, source, capacity, delivered energy, milestones, approvals, exclusions, security, state-wise charge assumptions and change control.

What pricing schedules make bids comparable?

For rooftop CAPEX, request total project cost, taxes, unit rates for uncertain work, generation guarantee and lifecycle O&M. For RESCO, request tariff, escalation, minimum billing, deemed-generation events, security and termination amounts by year. For open access/group captive, request plant tariff, equity, all estimated network charges/losses, banking, scheduling, security, curtailment and compliance costs. For certificates, request technology, vintage, geography, registry, delivery and retirement evidence.

WBCSD’s Corporate Renewable PPAs in India guide describes corporate procurement structures and risks, but current rules and project contracts must be checked independently.

How do you normalize bids fairly?

Use one buyer model with undiscounted and present-value results. Calculate cost per usable kWh after losses, curtailment and load overlap against the same grid counterfactual, excluding unavoidable charges. Value certificates separately.

Run low-generation, low-load, delayed-project, adverse-charge and combined downside cases. A low tariff that shifts every uncertain charge to the buyer is not necessarily the lowest delivered cost.

Who owns renewable attributes and evidence?

The contract must state ownership of all environmental attributes, whether they are transferred with energy, whether the seller may make claims, and who registers, verifies, transfers and retires instruments. Prevent double issuance, double sale and double claim. Require meter data, invoices, registry records, retirement certificates and an audit trail aligned to reporting periods.

Do not use “green power” as a substitute for defined evidence. Electricity-law compliance, voluntary corporate reporting and carbon accounting are related but distinct. Sustainability and legal teams should approve claim language before award.

How should a portfolio award be governed?

Award readiness tranches. Make structural acceptance, property rights, grid approval, financing and contracts conditions precedent. Use portfolio governance and a site RACI.

IFC’s report on blended finance for climate investments in India discusses financing barriers and instruments at a market level; it does not establish project eligibility. Require bidders to evidence committed finance rather than cite funding concepts.

FAQ

Should every site use the same solar model?

No. Standardize data, risk policy and bid comparison, while selecting routes around local load, property, connection, state and credit facts.

Can rooftop and open access be combined?

Potentially, subject to approvals, metering, contract-demand and state rules. Model both supplies against interval demand to avoid over-procurement and unintended settlement effects.

Is the lowest PPA tariff the best bid?

Not automatically. Add network charges, losses, escalation, security, curtailment, compliance and termination exposure, then compare usable delivered energy.

How often should state assumptions be refreshed?

At data-room issue, bid submission, evaluation, contract signing and financial close—and whenever a relevant order changes. Keep dated source documents.

Can one RFP cover CAPEX and RESCO?

Yes, if separate schedules and evaluation methods avoid mixing ₹/W ownership bids with long-term energy tariffs. State how commercial alternatives will be ranked.

What proves a renewable electricity claim?

The evidence depends on the chosen reporting framework, but typically includes metered consumption/delivery, contracts, invoices and unique attribute transfer or retirement records with no competing claim.

Sources

• WBCSD: Corporate Renewable PPAs in India
• Ministry of Power: Rules framed under the Electricity Act, 2003
• RE100 technical criteria and appendices
• IFC: Blended Finance for Climate Investments in India pendices%20%2815%20April%202025%29.pdf)
• IFC: Blended Finance for Climate Investments in India n-India.pdf)