September 24 is the last date to submit bids for supplying 1.2 million quantities of multi-crystalline silicon solar cells, half of which is tendered under the domestic content requirement category. Cells are required in peak power ratings of 4.50W (4/5-busbar), 4.60W (5-busbar) and 4.67W (5-busbar).

Faced with raw material and labor shortages, solar manufacturers have stressed the need to find alternative supply chains and to push automation and internet of things applications on the factory floor to keep production running.

The Hyderabad-based developer will use the funding from Swiss impact investor Symbiotics and Dutch banking majors Triodos and ASN to construct around 150 MW of new solar assets.

The second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles program offers purchase incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles and also supports charging infrastructure.

Bridge to India figures show dominance of Chinese inverters, which supplied almost 80% of installs from July last year to the end of June.

Developers now have until September 23 to lodge bids for the 110 MW procurement round and can toss their hat into the ring for a new tender in the district of Jamnagar which closes on October 5.

The U.S. based researchers said linking solar with hydro in a full hybrid system configuration may result – at best – in the deployment of 7,593 GW for an estimated annual power generation of 10,616 TWh and a 20% reservoir coverage. And combining solar with hydro in this way brings further benefits, including improved system operation at different time scales, more opportunities for storage thanks to pumped hydro, increased utilization rates of transmission lines, reduced PV curtailment, and lower interconnection costs and water evaporation.

The company cited delay in sale completion of Neo Solren as the reason for the pact’s cancellation with CLP India. The subsidiary was formed to set up and operate solar plants in Telangana.

The tracked green finance for climate mitigation was an average Rs 124 thousand crore (US$19 billion) for FY 2017 and FY 2018, representing only about 10% of what the country required. 

The ground-mounted, grid-connected project—to be developed in turnkey mode—shall be awarded through international competitive bidding followed by reverse auction. Bidding closes on October 27.

Researchers in India have developed a 5 kW/25 kWh vanadium redox flow battery with an energy density of 30 watt-hours to 40 watt-hours per liter.

Researchers have sounded the alarm. If no serious efforts are made on second-life battery use, recycling and vehicle-to-grid applications, decarbonization efforts may hit the buffers a lot sooner than expected.

Solar curtailment might become a valuable aspect of future PV deployment, particularly if grid operators start focusing on ‘curtailment management’ instead of ‘curtailment prevention.’ Management would include measures such as flexible generation, storage, load flexibility, and regional coordination.

The CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, which has expertise in the design and development of solar artifacts for multifaceted uses, and the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram, will conduct joint field studies for different solar technologies and work towards skill and capacity building.

French researchers have developed a machine-learning model to clean low-power PV projects and standalone solar arrays in rural areas isolated from the grid.

A UK-German research team analyzed solar auctions in India between 2014 and 2017 and has determined that local content requirements have driven up PV costs by an average of 6% per kilowatt-hour.

The country’s electric bus market has gained momentum owing to aggressive government push through FAME India [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] scheme and increased interest from global investors.

The system will use an innovative solar film developed by Power Roll that can be manufactured for just $0.03/Watt and deployed on a wide range of non-load bearing buildings, including agricultural and warehouse roofs.

Petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said India had received proposals for more than 10 GW of solar equipment manufacturing capacity under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan mission announced by Narendra Modi.

The International Solar Alliance signals India’s hope to be a global competitor in emerging technologies and cement its place as an institution builder. But how does India’s vision translate into domestic policy? Has India led by example? 

The region could, by 2050, cut greenhouse gas emissions from power, heat, transport and desalination which are expected to add up to more than 825 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent this year. Such a transition could be perfectly possible, technically and financially.

The Summit will see the signing of four partnership agreements, including one between India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, World Bank, and International Solar Alliance.

The electric vehicles—150 units of Nexon XZ+ and 100 Kona electric—will replace Central and State Governments’ existing fleet of petrol and diesel vehicles.

The selected party will provide funding support of Rs 4 crore by way of design and development of machinery for lithium- and sodium-ion battery cell manufacturing. September 30 is the deadline to submit the interest.  

International thinktank IEEFA says there are 50 viable green hydrogen projects under development with an estimated renewable energy capacity of 50 GW and the potential to produce 4 million tonnes of the fuel annually.

India’s entire solar industry is dependent on Chinese imports to function. Hence, there is a comprehensive need to relook at the current policies and focus on building wafers and ingots capacity that will be used to manufacture the cells and eventually, modules.

The government needs to rationalize and ensure uniformity of Deviation Settlement Mechanism (DSM) regulations across the country for the seamless integration of renewable energy. 

The global hybrid energy market, including energy storage, is projected to touch $40 billion by 2025. It is an opportunity that India has capitalized upon, earlier than others.

India is running the world’s largest renewable energy expansion program with a mind-boggling target of 450 GW by 2030. Can the country with a growing energy demand do more than this? Can it do what developed countries should have done years ago?

The ‘175 GW by 2022’ renewable energy target seems unachievable, necessitating the benchmark be moved to ‘450 GW by 2030’ instead. But even that will require the sector to move back to the front foot from 2021.