Of the total 9,538 MW of solar capacity commissioned between October 2017 and September 2018, Adani bagged the lion’s share at 11%, followed by Acme (7.5%) and Renew Power (7.3%), finds Bridge to India. The analyst company also tracks tariff trends between 2016 and now.

In an interview with pv magazine, vice president of GoodWe, Ron Shen, talks about the company’s plans for Germany, Spain, Africa and India, in addition to its goal to triple production capacity to 15 GW in China. He also discusses the effect of China’s 31/5 policy change, and plans for an initial public offering (IPO).

India’s electricity sector is transforming rapidly. A 50% decline in wind and solar tariffs since 2016 means renewable energy is now the lowest cost source of new generation. This has turned the established order in India on its head.

There is no doubting the tough environmental challenges facing PV modules and systems among the varied climactic conditions of India. These conditions have created earlier failures than seen in mature solar markets, with less diverse temperature fluctuations, such as Europe. DuPont’s Rajaram Pai says awareness of this is growing, however more needs to be done.

The decision to tax the ‘service’ provided to solar developers at the full rate comes days after the Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s imposition of a 25% safeguarding duty on Chinese and Malaysian panels.

South Africa’s Phelan Energy Group has reached financial close on its 50 MW solar PV project, located in Rajasthan. It is set to be online by October.

Chinese PV manufacturer, Trina Solar today launched its TrinaHome product in New Delhi. It is India’s first solar residential home kit. While it is currently imported from China, the goal is to assemble it locally, in the coming months.

German solar monitoring company SDS has announced a strategic partnership with developer iPLON India. The established Solar-Log system will help India’s drive to raise quality standards in PV.

After a pre-bid meeting with solar power developers on September 6, India’s Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is looking to amend the tender document, which it hopes to upload to its website in the coming days, following approval from the ministry, according to a SECI spokesperson.

CLP India will acquire a 49% stake in Suzlon’s 50 MW and 20 MW solar projects in Dhule, Maharashtra. These two projects were won by Suzlon through competitive bidding in auctions by the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI). As per the power purchase agreement signed, the tariff rate is fixed for 25 years at 4.115 INR/kWh for 20 MW and 3.66 INR/kWh for 50 MW.

The benefits of deploying bifacial solar panels on single-axis trackers are touted like snake oil these days, with promises of anywhere from 5 to 50% gains in energy output compared with a monofacial panel. Unfortunately, the field data that might delineate the actual energy gain of a bifacial panel on a tracker are hard to acquire, and the data that are available typically describe small-scale tests under tightly defined conditions.

Following hot on the heels of Exide Industries, lead acid battery maker, Indian-based Amara Raja Batteries Limited has said it will set up a 100 MWh lithium ion assembly plant in Andhra Pradesh. The company aims to establish a foothold in the energy storage market for electric vehicles.

The algorithm is said to be able to examine the relationship between weather forecast data and the projection of electric circuit parameters. Through this innovation, Purdue University researchers claim they can interpret the routinely collected maximum power point (MPP) time-series data, to assess the time-dependent “health” of installed solar modules.

In the second quarter, India installed solar projects amounting to 52% less capacity quarter-over-quarter, due to uncertainties around trade cases, module price fluctuations, and PPA renegotiations prompted by record low solar tender bids.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, have set a new record 22.4% conversion efficiency for a tandem cell combining a lead-based perovskite layer with CIGS technology. The record has been confirmed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The award of the nation’s first solar project quality certificate may signal a renewed determination by the federal authorities to crack down on low-quality panels – with Far Eastern imports firmly in their sights.

In a major development, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has reduced its solar manufacturing tender size from 5 GW to 3 GW, and curtailed the minimum bid capacity from 1 GW to 600 MW. The size of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), however, remains unchanged at 10 GW.

By double stacking a perovskite-silicon solar cell and using the cell in a glass-on-glass bifacial solar module, scientists model that a 30-36% efficient solar module can be attained.

Hyderabad based Cygni Energy plans to utilize the capital to triple its solar DC solutions production capacity from 4,000 units to 12,000 by H1 2019, develop new technology-enabled products and streamline the product lifecycle, as well as expand nationally and internationally.

A combination of national, state and public body commitments could see the amount of PV added nationally treble on the last four-year period. But even with a new 7-8 GW added, rooftop solar will still be bringing up the rear.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has announced a tender for a 160 MW wind, solar and storage plant to be located in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

In the latest amendment to India’s National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, the word “battery” has been removed from a number of clauses, while the scope of storage has been broadened to include all technologies, like pumped hydro, compressed air and flywheel.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has approved a grant supporting the technical design and project planning work for IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited’s (IEDCL) 41 MW hybrid wind, solar and energy storage power plant in Andhra Pradesh.

India’s energy storage industry feels the government’s move to reduce GST on lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from 28% to 18% will benefit electric vehicles and the renewables sector. The government has also cut GST on the raw materials for battery manufacturing, to jump-start domestic industry.

Greenko Energies will set up India’s largest Integrated Renewable Energy Project (IREP) in Andhra Pradesh at an investment of INR 150 billion (US$2.2 billion). Recently approved by the Andhra Pradesh government, the project will comprise 1,000 MW of solar energy, 550 MW of wind energy and 1,200 MW of standalone pumped storage capacities. It is expected to provide employment to 15,000 people during construction and 3,000 people after construction.

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 […]

India’s Director General of Safeguards (DGS) has proposed a provisional duty of 70% for a period of 200 days on solar cells and modules. It has issued its recommendations in a preliminary report, completed within just a month of submission of the petition by five Indian manufacturers including Mundra Solar, Indosolar, Jupiter Solar, Websol Energy and Helios […]

The Solar industry in India is growing at an incredible rate. Going from current solar capacity (13 GW) to aggressive initiatives (14 GW under construction and 6 GW to be auctioned), and policies to make green energy a mainstream energy source is impressive, inspiring even. The industry growth is supposed to realize the vision of […]