The NYSE-listed developer appears to have turned the corner after reporting a full year profit of Rs138,493 after a Rs10 lakh loss a year ago. Borrowings are on the rise though, as the company plans to drum up an ever larger project portfolio.

The government is considering financial incentives such as import and export duty waivers to woo battery manufacturers to set up a globally competitive manufacturing base in India.

Easy access to finance topped the agenda of the minister’s meeting with various stakeholders, wherein issues related to land acquisition and Goods and Services Tax (GST) were also discussed.

The ATUM integrated solar roofing system using 320W panels generates enough electricity to power a light bulb, a fan and a mobile phone.

Cumulatively valued at Rs 520 crore, the projects include a 50 MW plant for Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd, a 75 MW plant for Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd and a 10 MW plant for Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd.

With PV’s cost declines, the growing question is: where to put it all, particularly in densely populated areas. Ingenuity to the rescue – a technology that took its first steps in 2007 is entering full market maturity. And its potential is rather impressive.

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) cut its cost of electricity consumption from Rs 463.22 lakh during 2015-16 to Rs 163.78 lakh during 2018-19, using solar power generated from grid-connected PV projects installed at its various units.

Pitched as a solution between dual-axis and single-axis trackers, the 2-axis solar tracker offers a yield increase comparable with dual-axis trackers at a significantly lower cost.

Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has invited bids for the supply, installation and commissioning of an aggregate 6 MW capacity of solar power generation projects along with LiFePo4 battery backup at various sites in Uttar Pradesh. Bidding closes on June 24.

With continuous decline in costs of solar power generation, the chorus for shortening the 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) period is growing louder.

A team of researchers from Manchester University claims to have identified the dominant process causing light-induced degradation in silicon solar cells. The process, termed “trap-assisted auger recombination”, arises from a defect in the bulk of the silicon material which lies dormant until exposed to sunlight.

In the second amendment to the tender, the financial and technical criteria have been further relaxed and the bidding deadline extended from June 7 to June 10.

The Mumbai-based EPC contractor and module manufacturer expects its international business to account for more than 15% of its overall revenue. The company’s latest installation, in Vietnam, marks the completion of over 600 MW of solar EPC projects, with an additional 100 MW in its international pipeline.

The preliminary proposals must reach the ministry by June 30. These will be examined by a committee and the shortlisted parties will be invited to submit final proposal.

Falling PV panel prices led to notable year-on-year falls in the cost of developing solar plants around the world. India led the way with PV projects costing a weighted average of just $793/kW of capacity installed in 2018. Costs in China dipped to $879/kW last year, while solar projects in US and Australia cost $1,500.

Dustin Mulvaney is a solar industry veteran. Associate professor at the Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University, in the United States, he recently published a new book this April, Solar Power, Innovation, Sustainability, Environmental Justice, which looks at creating a “more sustainable and just solar industry for the future.” A part of this is the creation of a new global sustainability module standard. He spoke with pv magazine as part of the launch of our new UP initiative.

Having acted against Turkey, the Trump administration has removed India too from the list of nations exempt from import tariffs on solar cells and modules.

The acquisition would be made through Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL)—a joint venture of three public-sector mining units—which recently visited the Lithium Triangle countries in South America (Chile, Argentina and Bolivia) to explore the possibility of lithium acquisition.

While the world’s biggest solar manufacturers are confident there are plenty of alternative markets for a rising volume of panel exports, the message spelled out by first-quarter shipment figures is that protectionism works.

The Mumbai-based engineering company, which acquired a majority stake in electric scooter maker Ampere Vehicles last year, is currently building a supply chain for the proposed EV battery manufacturing plant.

Bidding is now allowed up to June 20. Bidders are required to submit the respective corrigendum along with the bid, duly signed and stamped.

CNG distributor Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has invited bids for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 1 KWp solar PV system (4x260W panels) along with Lithium-ion batteries and inverter for 12 hours backup. A total of 76 such system combinations are to be supplied. Bidding closes on May 30.

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.

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is the technology that enables bidirectional charging – where an electric vehicle (EV) can both charge from and discharge into the grid. With V2G, EVs can play the same role as static batteries in managing local loads and participating in energy market value streams. Alexander Lewis-Jones, head of electric vehicles research at Delta-ee looks at the opportunities this technology provides, and remaining challenges to wider adoption.

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 state has decided to withdraw almost all incentives available to open access solar, including exemption from electricity duty and distribution losses for projects injecting power at 33 kV or below. The policy reversal—clearly to appease state discoms—is likely to impact capacity addition.

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.