Time-of-use (ToU) tariff can be applied to encourage domestic and industrial consumers to shift their electricity usage to non-peak hours, thereby reducing the system’s load during peak periods. A new study examines the feasibility of the ToU tariff policy in the state of Gujarat. It also suggests a framework and effective roadmap for the utilities to understand the procedure and required infrastructure to implement ToU. 

The Gurugram-headquartered distributed solar energy company has acquired Sterling and Wilson’s 7.2 MWp of on-site rooftop solar projects across seven Indian states.

Under the partnership, the West Bengal-based not-for-profit organization shall set up a guarantee fund to facilitate the financing of solar pumps for unbankable small and marginal farmers without having to offer any collateral.

The 1.5 GW Sudair Project is Saudi Arabia’s largest solar plant with power purchase agreement signed. It is also one of the world’s largest PV plants.

The offtaker’s creditworthiness, the ease of land acquisition, infrastructure readiness, policy consistency and clarity, and access to low-cost funds are among the key determinants for the success of large-scale PV auctions in India, writes Uma Gupta in New Delhi.

The latest addition in Chitrakoot follows the commissioning of a 25 MW solar plant in January this year.

The Indian multinational will build the plant on an engineering, procurement and construction basis for the consortium of UAE-based renewable energy developer Masdar, France’s power utility EDF Renewables and Saudi Arabian company Nesma. 

The developer added 825 MW of solar capacity during the fiscal. This, together with 100 MW of new wind, raised the developer’s total operating renewable capacity to 3,470 MW. 

Developers now have until April 27 to bid for the capacity in the Uttar Pradesh Solar Park. Technical bid shall be opened on April 28.

The Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) has floated two separate tenders inviting bids to set up an aggregate 112 MW of grid-connected PV capacity across GETCO substations and 200 MW in Dholera Solar Park, respectively.

Scientists in Russia introduce a promising new material for battery energy storage, the product of more than three years of research. Incorporating a nickel-salen polymer into the cathode, the group demonstrated a battery that can charge and discharge ten times faster than today’s lithium-ion batteries. And though the battery still lags in terms of overall capacity, the group is confident that its discovery will lead to big improvements for lithium batteries.

The innovators will be required to showcase their technologies in actual field conditions. The shortlisted ones will be empanelled and allocated sites for installing solar pumps under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme.

Scientists have set a new efficiency record for a single-junction perovskite solar cell at 25.6%. The cell additionally showed operational stability for 450 hours, and intense electroluminescence with external quantum efficiencies of more than 10%.

The solar manufacturer and EPC player has added new lines to its existing factory at Bengaluru, widening its current product range to include half-cell and bifacial mono PERC panels.

The startup has developed an industrial Internet of Things-enabled sensor and analytics solution that allows manufacturing and power industries to track device-level energy wastage in real time. 

The energy storage manufacturer will use the funds to expand its manufacturing capabilities, and aid product development with emphasis on smart Internet of Things (IOT) based batteries and telematics.

German start-up Phytonics has developed the film by taking inspiration from nanostructures in plants. In solar cells, the film enables a broader absorption spectrum and a higher angle of light-incidence tolerance.

Suppliers of encapsulant materials – plastic sheets that are heated to laminate together the components in PV module stacks – are rapidly expanding to keep pace with module manufacturing in Asia and other parts of the world. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) continues to dominate the market, but new developments in module technology are driving a slow shift to more costly polyolefins.

A new report compares the European Union and Indian regulatory frameworks for managing end-of-life solar panels. It also assesses and analyses the PV waste market and processing capacities in India and shares recommendations for the Indian stakeholders.

The module can be used for residential and commercial PV projects. It is available in five versions with power outputs claimed by the company of 390-415 W and reported efficiencies of 20.0-21.3%.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited has installed a 150 kW/528 kWh battery energy storage system at Ranibagh Substation in New Delhi. The system will support the utility in managing the peak load, voltage regulation, power factor improvement, frequency regulation, and deviation settlement mechanism at the substation level. Besides, it will provide a power backup of 150 kW for 4 hours duration to preferential consumers in case of a grid outage.

When coupled to gigawatt-scale solar and wind generation, green hydrogen could be the clean fuel to unlock hard-to-electrify sectors of the economy. But first it must be transported cost-effectively to where it’s needed.

U.S.-based researchers have modeled the costs of achieving 200 GW, 400 GW and 600 GW of renewables capacity in India this decade and concluded PV should supply no more than half of the generation facilities and policymakers should shift their focus to wind power.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore has set up a solar-powered charging station to conduct the system’s impact assessment. The system—designed by UK-based renewable energy advisor GreenEnco—uses Vikram Solar’s 16 mono PERC solar modules of 400 Wp each, a hybrid inverter, and battery storage.

In India, the lack of suitable fiscal incentives and relevant experience, combined with high upfront capital costs, has hindered the adoption of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in comparison to other developed countries. However, there is potential for the country to take the lead.

For developers to close the emerging gap as the market becomes more competitive – and, crucially, build projects that perform to investors’ expectations in the long term – they need to not only develop better understanding of the factors influencing project performance but also take steps to adopt advances made in other established solar markets worldwide in the use of solar data.

A net feed-in tariff could offer a solution for consumers, developers, and distribution companies.

The government should consider offering a 50% capital subsidy for setting up R&D and quality testing infrastructure within the manufacturing units and a 200% super-deduction for the R&D expenditure on new and clean solar technology development. Simultaneously, it should look at implementing tariff barriers on imports for at least four-five years.

Challenges like frequent policy and regulatory changes, high capital costs, low awareness, non-uniformity in approval processes across states, restriction on net metering, and additional charges by DISCOMs need to be addressed for rooftop solar to take off in India.

Feeder segregation, i.e., the installation of dedicated electricity supply lines for agriculture, is often celebrated as the solution to the electricity utilities’ pain point of free or highly subsidized electricity supply for agriculture. But does it address the root cause of the issue?