Visitors to this year’s Solar Bangladesh Expo have called for the implementation of quality standards on solar imports – action which the government is currently pursuing – with one industry insider rubbishing Indian-made products.

The ISTS connected projects—to be developed on ‘build-own-operate’ basis—can be set up anywhere in India for round-the-clock power supply to New Delhi Municipal Council and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. December 3 is the last date for bidding.

Range anxiety continues to be an obstacle to electric vehicle take-up but the nation’s willingness to embrace car-sharing and other workarounds offers plenty of promise to the sector, according a World Economic Forum report.

The disparity between central and state government renewables policies must be resolved and renegotiating signed PPAs is an absolute no-no, according to the solar business’ bosses.

The company has already partnered with Fortum for fast charging and Delta Electronics India for slow charging segments. The latest partnership follows Ministry of Power’s revised guidelines for EV charging infrastructure that permit private charging at homes and offices.

The latest blow in the political battle between clean energy project developers and an anti-renewables state government has seen the electricity regulator order power distribution companies to honor PPAs signed after a public tender.

The selected bidders are required to install and commission solar-based water pumping systems in various villages and towns of Jaipur district. Bidding closes on November 5.

The hybrid solar plants (with battery bank) shall come up at 34 railway station sites in the 4 states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and Bihar. Bidding closes on October 30.

By going for captive solar plants, MSMEs can not only contribute in addressing the challenge of global warming but also generate additional cash flows to their business. Ample funding is available for them to make the switch.

A total of 476 tube wells are to be installed under four packages in districts under different divisions—Barpeta (100+80), Goalpara, Dhubri and Mankachar (151), and Kokrajhar (145). Bidding closes on November 1.

The aim is development of sustainable, integrated solutions for both short- and long-term storage. November 12 is the last date for submitting expressions of interest. Projects are expected to start before December 15, 2020.

Solar generation capacity aggregating to 7 GW—as against 6 GW earlier—will now be awarded against setting up of 2 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. Tariff ceiling has also been increased to Rs2.93/kWh, from Rs2.75, for a period of 25 years. Bids can be submitted till October 31.

“The addition of microgrids creates opportunities for developers to penetrate areas which were not previously explored while allowing the government to meet its renewable energy targets,” says Dr Jayashri Ravishankar—senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney—in an interview with pv magazine.

This year will see strong growth for the global PV market, to 114 GW, and that pattern will continue in the years ahead, according to analyst Wood Mackenzie. A report has highlighted soaring inverter replacement costs for PV project owners as a side-effect of the solar success story.

Plant load factor for thermal power generators ramped up to 70-80% between July 2019 till date while solar power projects were arbitrarily backed down by more than 60-70% of their operational capacity during the same period.

Bids are invited for supply of 5-busbar cells with peak power output of 5.1W or greater and an efficiency of minimum 18.8%. The quantities to be supplied are 1000. Bidding closes on October 16.

Bids are invited for supply of cells using 5 busbars, providing an efficiency of minimum 18.8%. The quantity to be supplied is 500,000. Bidding closes on October 15.

Plans to develop an 18 GWh lithium-ion battery factory in northern Queensland have reached an important milestone with the project feasibility study submitted to the Queensland government.

The fossil fuel giant, like many of its global peers, is making inroads into renewable energy activity and has invested an unspecified amount in becoming a significant shareholder in a business which installs rooftop PV systems for commercial and industrial clients.

EU industry body EUROBAT has called for the bloc to adopt a battery industrial strategy and has pushed the claims of domestic manufacturers in the same manner as India has, as the race hots up to dominate the global energy storage market.

Under the MoU, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd will make the investment on services along with the operation and maintenance of the public charging infrastructure, while the telecom operator would provide the space and power connections.

The state bus company had originally sought central government funding for 250 vehicles but was given the green light for the smaller figure. A pre-bid meeting related to the tender is planned on Friday.

Bids are invited for design, supply, installation and commissioning of solar home cooking systems in five districts of different states (Meghalaya, Chhattisharh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat). Bidding closes on November 8.

Manufacturers have been invited to compete for the tender by submitting expressions of interest by October 22. The vehicles must be ready to hit state roads by the end of March.

The solar battery house—an innovative design by education reformist Sonam Wangchuk—will shelter soldiers of the Indian Army from the extreme Ladakhi winters.

India’s total installed solar capacity touched 34.1 GW on June 30, 2019. The total was split between 27.9 GW of utility-scale PV, 4.6 GW of rooftop solar and 1.26 GW of off-grid solar. The nation’s total project pipeline – projects allocated to developers and those in various stages of development – stood at 19.69 GW as of June 30. Bridge to India’s Sai Nandamuri looks at the outlook for Indian solar in 2019 and 2020.

The goal of the ‘SuryaKranti Solar Challenge’ is to develop a deeper collaboration between Indian industry and its engineering colleges. The event, on the lines of World Solar Challenge-Australia, aims to drive the culture of innovation in India by trying to solve a great challenge of climate change: building a sun powered car and driving it for a significant distance.

Most residential customers buy PV systems by obtaining quotes directly from PV installers. However, this can prove time consuming, costly and ineffective. Homeowners need an online quote platform, which offers a seamless buying experience. This can increase solar power awareness among Indian homeowners and help grow the adoption of rooftop solar power in the Indian residential market.

India needs special institutional structures within leading public financial institutions to cater to market segments that do not attract commercial capital at competitive terms.

Since 2017, several European governments have announced bans on sales of conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles. Countries like France and the United Kingdom have set bans to come into force by 2040, while Norway has set a more ambitious goal of 2025. Raquel Soat, Research Analyst at Navigant, looks at how policy might affect European electric vehicle markets over the coming years.