With Leclanché due to open a module and battery pack assembly line in Gujarat alongside JV partner Exide Industries by the end of next month, the Swiss storage solutions company has been active nearer its home market.

Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited, Jaipur has invited bids to supply 2.87W crystalline silicon solar cells. The quantity to be supplied is 450,000. The deadline for bid submission is May 24, and bids will open on May 25.

Tangedco’s reputation for late payments scared off developers in its latest two, failed tender exercises. The solution? Get government body SECI to hold the auctions, because everyone knows it pays on time!

Solar-plus-storage could be competitive against gas peaking power plants in Australia within the next five years, as the average solar-plus-storage LCOE across the Asia-Pacific region is set to fall from $133/MWh this year to $101/MWh by 2023, according to a newly released research report.

The company’s electric vehicle (EV) charging service combines physical components such as charging stations, swap stations and telematics systems, with virtual components like cloud service, analytics and artificial intelligence.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has invited bids to supply, install and commission 1,250 kW, three-phase, grid-connected power-conditioning units for 129 MW solar PV capacity in the state of Telangana. The deadline for bid submissions is May 27.

State-owned Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has once again extended the bid submission deadline for its latest 3 GW, manufacturing-linked solar tender, following a tepid response.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has said that off-grid solar plants that have been installed under its own programmes can be connected to the grid in locations where net-metering provisions are in place.

The European solar trade body expects 128 GW of new PV capacity in 2019, with China likely to bring around 43 GW online and Europe experiencing enough demand to deploy about 20.4 GW. In 2020, global solar demand is expected to reach 144 GW, while in the following three years new PV additions are forecast to total 158 GW, 169 GW and 180 GW, respectively.

In a recent survey, an overwhelming 73% of respondents said they remain upbeat about India’s renewable growth prospects, despite recent policy reversals and various other operational challenges the industry faces.

Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), Jaipur, has invited bids to supply 4.3 W and 4.5 W multicrystalline silicon solar cells. The deadline for submissions is June 4.

U.S.-based PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) has found that Vikram Solar’s Somera monocrystalline silicon and Eldora polycrystalline silicon PV modules met and exceeded international quality and performance benchmarks.

A research team has applied a waterproof coating obtained from graphite to a perovskite cell intended to power the production of hydrogen underwater. The cell is said to have worked underwater longer than expected.

And the analyst expects that annual new additions figure to rise to 10.6 GW in 2025. This year the U.S. will surpass South Korea as the largest storage market due to new capacity for solar-plus-storage projects. In Japan and Australia, growth will be spurred by the termination of FIT programs.

Waste-to-energy, battery lifecycle solutions and hazardous waste management will make up an increased share of Fortum’s business in future. While solar will continue to be a mainstay for the Finnish clean energy company in India, Fortum wants to deepen its presence in the electric vehicle space with smart solutions, according to Sanjay Aggarwal, the company’s India MD, and Juha Suomi, area director for Asia, who spoke exclusively to pv magazine.

This year, pv magazine is setting a new editorial agenda. Via our program, UP, we will be diving deep into the topic of what it means to be truly sustainable, looking at what is already being done, and discussing areas for improvement. Over the coming weeks, months, and years, we will share our findings across our various digital platforms, in our print magazines, and via our roundtable events and webinars. Are you UP for it?

Borosil Glass Works plans to consolidate its solar business by amalgamating Gujarat Borosil, Vyline Glass and Fennel Investments, while simultaneously demerging its consumer and scientific glassware business. Post restructuring, Borosil Glass Works will be renamed as Borosil Renewables.

While Bureau of India Standards certification is a genuine attempt by the Indian government to mitigate the risks associated with poor solar module quality, there are several reasons why it is not 100% effective. pv magazine India’s Uma Gupta investigates India’s efforts to ensure quality in its booming PV industry.

The Japanese multinational will transfer its Panasonic Energy Malaysia unit to Chinese heterojunction module provider GS-Solar as part of a broader cooperation agreement. Panasonic’s solar R&D business will form part of a JV in Japan to be 90% owned by GS-Solar.

With last year’s embarrassing manufacturing-linked capacity tender limping along, it has been reported that the Indian government – whichever form it takes after the current elections – is considering a new tender to incentivize the establishment of a domestic solar industry.

This is Tata Power’s fourth major partnership with an energy retailer to expand its presence in the e-mobility business. As part of the MoU, the private-sector electricity generator with work with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) to set up solar rooftop projects and commercial-scale electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery swapping stations.

The import of secondary cells and batteries of lead-acid and nickel-based chemistries will be allowed subject to IEC 61427 certification of the product and certificate issued by the MNRE, along with an undertaking from the supplier that the products will be utilised for solar PV power projects only.

Under the partnership, projects will be sought on nomination as well as through competitive bidding. Exicom shall also help state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to set up electric vehicle (EV) charger manufacturing facility for e-mobility business.

Government-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals and the Automotive Research Association of India will combine their respective strengths in technology development and testing and certification to work on electric and trolley buses, EV chargers and battery and charger testing.

The Indo-Tibetan Border (ITB) Police Force at Lingdum in East Sikkim has invited bids for supply and installation of 10 KWp and 5 KWp solar power plants at its five border outposts.

India needs a manufacturing policy that is scalable, secure, strategical and supportive and promotes both the growth and spread of solar while protecting the interests of domestic manufacturers.

Situated in south-east India, the state of Andhra Pradesh is a leading producer of renewable energy with 7.2 GW of installed capacity as of December 2018. The state’s share of renewable energy as part of total capacity has trebled in the last four years from 11% in 2014 to 30% in 2018.

The last 10 years have seen India emerge as a solar superpower, setting an example from which many emerging countries in Africa and Southeast Asia are eager to learn.

India has set exceptionally ambitious renewable energy targets including 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewables by 2022, 275GW by 2027, and to achieve 40% of electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2030. India seeks to tender another 80GW of renewables in total over the coming two years.

In recent years, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has laid the foundation for a clean energy expansion through robust policies and initiatives. India’s solar energy capacity has jumped a thousand-fold from a mere 17 MW in 2010, to more than 23 GW in 2018. Similarly, the wind market has more than doubled in recent years, from around 13 GW of installed power in 2010, to 34 GW by June 2018. These developments help move India closer to its ambitious clean energy goal of 175 GW installed capacity by 2022. However, in spite of several public financial institutions, private banks, and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) providing capital, financing remains a key barrier in scaling India’s clean energy markets further.