Ever tumbling panel prices have brought a fresh round of low solar power tariffs after an earlier 1 GW super tender was annulled in the state. The latest reverse auction was oversubscribed by almost 50%.

Swiss battery maker that intends to bring production lines to Gujarat has been helped along in a planned reduction of its debt pile by its domestic authorities. The way is now clear for a shareholder vote next Tuesday.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has reevaluated the solar potential of the region, in the light of steepling falls in the cost of generating solar electricity. The big push will start with 7.5 GW of new capacity, with a request for selection expected within a fortnight.

A renewable energy system in 2050 is technically possible and economically viable for India, with the levelized cost of electricity falling from the current €58/MWh (Rs4,626) to €52 under one scenario in a recent report, and to €46 in another that included demand for power, water desalination and non-energy industrial gas sectors.

The iSTAR-C program of India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) was adjudged an outstanding project during the Paris Peace Forum this month. The program is one of many ISA initiatives to develop solar resources in member countries. After the first assembly of the ISA, interim Director-General Upendra Tripathy tells pv magazine about the organization’s achievements and plans.

India’s largest power company is set to make a statement of intent with procurement, and has set a first round bid ceiling of Rs2.67 for the reverse bidding auction. Successful bidders will secure a one-year PPA which can be extended by six months.

Supervising authority has given the state distribution company the green light to conduct three 500 MW solar tenders. The move marks the first procurement exercise held by TANGEDCO in almost 12 months.

The 7 MW solar facility will sell power to local state-owned utility Nigelec. The project was developed with the support of the Indian government.

Suzlon Energy has sold subsidiaries Amun Solarfarms and Avighna Solarfarms to Canadian Solar for Rs545 million. The company set up the units as special purpose vehicles for two solar projects of 15 MW each, at Ramannapet and Kamareddy.

Only three bidders have come forward for huge manufacturing-linked solar and solar-wind hybrid procurement exercises. The separate auctions – originally intended to drive 12.5 GW of new generation and 5 GW of manufacturing capacity – prompted figures of just 3.05 GW and 600 MW, respectively.

As new cell and module concepts move into large-scale production, and efficiencies are pushed ever higher, manufacturers of flash testing equipment must innovate to ensure their tools can provide reliable measurements, and cope with ever expanding production throughput. The expansion of bifacial technology beyond niche applications in particular raises new issues for flash testing standards. pv magazine spoke with several flasher manufacturers to shed light on the latest developments in this segment.

The first companies are demonstrating that today it can be worthwhile commercially to back electric vehicles in combination with solar generation and storage. Particularly in the case of public charging stations, solar power used for electric vehicle charging could become the basis for a profitable operator model in the future.

The Indian Ministries of External Affairs and Power, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), organized the South Asia Power Summit 2018, held recently in New Delhi. The daylong conference highlighted that diversity of energy resources in South Asian countries brings the opportunity to provide affordable, low-carbon energy in the region. The business case for enhanced energy trading in the region, and challenges faced in inter-country electricity trading were important elements of this discussion.

The research team was able to improve the cell efficiency by 2.1%. The cell silicon layer was etched on the back-side, while a a polymer light management (LM) foil was applied to the front-side of the device.

Controllable, distributed battery storage systems can help avoid bottlenecks in power distribution networks. That reduces the cost of grid expansion, but to turn this use of storage systems into a business model, a number of conditions still have to be met.

Ministry of Science and Technology has reissued a plea for overseas solar companies to partner up with Indian concerns to kick-start production lines.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) much-hyped 10 GW manufacturing-linked tender, which has already been postponed six times, received a very tepid response on Monday, the last submission date.

Developers gave short shrift to gloomy predictions about depreciation, protectionism and tax headwinds as tendering and auction figures soared, but they shied away from the tough price caps set for SECI’s procurement exercises.

While the timelines for PV power plant execution and completion of manufacturing facilities are now more realistic, production obligations – especially for capacity utilization – need to be revisited.

As price pressure continues to exert its strong grip on the inverter market, digital services make their way into the offerings of manufacturers. The new technologies create the possibility to steadily generate profits, and thus create resilience to market fluctuations. But they also allow the installation of more solar assets, as they cater to the need to improve grid resilience to compensate for intermittent renewable energy.

The first companies are demonstrating that today it can be worthwhile commercially to back electric vehicles in combination with solar generation and storage. Particularly in the case of public charging stations, solar power used for electric vehicle charging could become the basis for a profitable operator model in the future.

Following the launch of Greensmith Energy’s new Gridsolv standardized storage solution, which integrates software helpers and standardized architecture for easy installation, pv magazine caught up with CEO John Jung to discuss the state of the storage market and the role of digital services.

Analysts are weighing into the debate over the MNRE’s big solar plans, but pointing out that even a partial victory would set the foundation for future solar triumphs.

The tipping point, where the world shifts from oil and gas to renewables, will be the year 2035, says Wood Mackenzie. This is when renewables and electric-based technologies converge, with around 20% of global power needs being met by solar or wind, and roughly 20% of miles traveled by cars, trucks, buses and bikes using electricity. Will the transition come soon enough, however?

The farming sector offers the largest green energy innovation opportunity, with rice transplanting, pesticide spraying and grain harvesting together having a market potential worth $40 billion – says the Council on Energy, Environment and Water.

As the deployment of renewable energy continues to expand around the world, driven by various inputs, such as capital allocation and investment, falling capital costs, competitive LCOE and various policy mechanisms, we are now moving towards a new era for renewable energy. ‘Renewables 2.0’ will have significant, wide-ranging consequences for all market players, as regulators reduce their support and power producers seek new revenue models. In this article, Duncan Ritchie, partner at Apricum – The Cleantech Advisory, will look at the key market developments for renewables, explode the myth of grid parity, highlight the need for flexibility and explain the importance of new financing solutions that are capable of meeting the new complexities brought about by ‘Renewables 2.0’.

India is currently the second largest market in the world for PV module demand. With China’s domestic demand frozen since the 31/5 notification, the country’s total module demand in 2018 will likely only achieve 32-34 GW. This will allow India, which may surpass 10 GW in annual demand, to reach 13% of global PV demand this year. As a result, the future of India’s trade war has become an influential factor in the global PV industry.

Finance in developing countries: Economics teaches that capital flows from where it is in surplus to where it is in demand. But that is not the case with renewable energy. The biggest pots of institutional capital in advanced economies are not shifting to developing ones. It is time to take a hard look and develop solutions that resolve this anomaly.

Actions taken today in the pursuit of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive growth path in India stand to benefit more than 17 percent of the world’s population. A sustainable future for India carries an impact for the subcontinent and the entire world. At GGGI – the Global Green Growth Institute – our attention is captured […]

Budget 2018-19 has been watched with a lot of expectations and addressed three critical issues, agricultural distress being foremost, followed by employment opportunities for youth, and ways to kickstart manufacturing with large-scale private investments. ‘Saubhagya’ is one of the powerful tools that was at the top of the budget’s agenda, which Prime Minister Modi  launched […]