India’s largest private-sector thermal power producer—which ranked as the sixth largest solar player globally in 2019—will invest over 70% of its budgeted Capex for the energy vertical into clean energy and energy-efficient systems to fuel its transformation.

Following a dip in the last fiscal year, the value of cell exports saw a massive surge to an estimated Rs133,000 lakh from April to November. Exports to the U.S. tripled during the eight-month period as shipments to Turkey and Belgium rebounded to become the next two biggest export markets.

The Mumbai-based solar EPC solutions provider has to its credit 9.2 GWp of solar power projects (commissioned and under construction) globally, including 3.05 GWp in the MENA region.

A study from Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology has predicted solar and other renewables can provide a global energy jobs revolution – just as four European operations revealed recent struggles.

The monocrystalline solar panel manufacturer aims to reach 100 million customers and achieve Rs 100 crore revenue by FY 2020-21.

Bidding closes on February 10 for the solar systems that are to be set up on turnkey basis. Completion period is eight months from the award of contract.

The combined use of trackers and bifacial modules can result in significant power gains, but they are not distributed equally. For single-axis tracking R&D teams, the process of optimizing the output from arrays that use bifacial modules requires experimentation and a steep learning curve in terms of what is going on underneath the module.

The land required to meet India’s 2022 renewable energy target ranges from approximately 55,000 to 125,000 km2, or areas roughly the size of Himachal Pradesh or Chhattisgarh, respectively. This much land is likely to impact 6700–11,900 km2 of forest land and 24,100–55,700 km2 of agricultural land. The good news is that India’s already degraded lands have the potential of 1789 GW, which is more than ten times the 175 GW target.

The developer won 9 MW under RESCO mode. Other major winners include SunSource with 8 MW, Ampsolar and Varp (5 MW each), and Hero Future and HFM Solar Power (4.075 MW each).

Developers have until February 25 to bid for ISTS connected wind-solar hybrid projects to be set up anywhere in India at the location of their choice. Bidding for 4 MW of grid-connected floating solar project with 2 MW/1 MWh battery energy storage system—to be set up in Andaman & Nicobar Islands—closes on February 13.

The wall-mount charger with a high power output of 22 KW AC maximum reduces electric vehicle charging time by up to 70% in comparison to common 7KW AC chargers. The 125 KW string inverter—a cloud-connected three-phase solution—enables cost-efficient decentralized photovoltaic systems for both ground-mounted and large commercial applications.

The Internet of Things, cloud analytics and artificial intelligence will find their way into battery management too, enabling OEMs to precisely measure and improve the life of their deployed assets. Lower battery costs and increased adoption in high-power commercial electric vehicles and grid support are the other trends shaping the market.

Researchers from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have created flexible solar cells made of crystalline silicon. They claim to have stretched a crystalline silicon cell’s surface by around 95% while maintaining conversion efficiency of around 19%.

The first Indian power plant, with a capacity of 5.5 MWp, was inaugurated in 2017 in the state of Uttarakhand. With the just commissioned photovoltaic power plant of 27 MWp, the developer claims to offer the lowest price of solar electricity in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The R&D facility in Navi Mumbai will house three automation labs to ensure EV charger design and development as per the international quality and safety standards for cells and battery packs, rapid prototyping, and reliability and environmental tests.

Madhya Pradesh based Pinnacle Industries–a commercial vehicle components manufacturer–plans to roll out electric vehicle battery packs with Phylion cells and semi-knocked-down kits.

The Japanese electronics giant has unveiled three monocrystalline half-cut cell modules said to provide 2-3% better performance than standard, full cell panels. The claimed efficiency of the modules exceeds 19.5% and Sharp says power output ranges from 330-395 W.

The emerging startup has become the second Indian module manufacturer to launch AC panels integrated with Enphase microinverters, after Waaree announced its partnership with Enphase in 2007.

While openers like SRISTI scheme for rooftop solar and KUSUM for farmland solar are likely to give a promising start, their implementation on the ground will determine our winning trajectory this year. Simply going by the connotation of 6 balls an over in the game of Cricket, this article looks at 6 factors that will push India to achieve its 2022 solar target.

Researchers at the American Institute of Physics have used the clear-sky irradiance model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to measure the degradation rates of solar panels at a testing field in Germany over five years. The scientists say the model, when combined with real-world data, offers an efficient tool to evaluate the aging of PV technology.

South Central Railway’s Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division has been declared as the first solar section in India that has all of its stations in one stretch powered by solar panels.

The Chennai-based solar EPC contractor and trader, which formed SIL Rooftop Solar as the new subsidiary in October, has included battery-based energy storage as a focus area in addition to renewable energy projects.

The joint venture between Japanese majors Toshiba, Denso and Suzuki will make the investment in the Gujarat plant over the 2021-25 period, having pumped Rs12.5 billion into the first phase of development.

Solar installations in year 2020 are set to exceed 10 GW after a year hit by political uncertainties, module price increases associated with safeguard duty and a fewer number of awarded tenders. The outlook for battery energy storage installations for solar projects, however, is bleak as such combinations in India can cost 3-5 times more in 2020 than standalone renewable projects.

Project development and value chain localization are the focus areas for cooperation between the two countries.

India, one of the most diversified energy markets in the world, has recently become the lowest-cost producer of solar power. This reflects a steady and encouraging shift toward renewable power—a shift that’s in line with the targets set by the government. At the Climate Action Summit that was held earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra […]

There will be plenty of opportunity for electric three-wheeler penetration in the Indian market through the model of battery swapping as well as local charging points available at delivery hubs.

The recently proposed guidelines allow electricity cost reduction of only Rs 3.64/unit for commercial and industrial consumers, which is not even sufficient to recover the capital costs of setting up the solar infrastructure.

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.

Streamlining the Discoms, better financing options, customer-centric approach, data sharing and push for residential through standardization are a few steps that can help India achieve its ambitious rooftop solar target.