India’s energy storage juggernaut is on a roll with the country discovering the cheapest renewables cum storage tariff in history, anywhere in the world. The technology chosen is pumped storage. And by setting up an enabling environment, the government has signalled its commitment to boosting the market!

The digital platform automates the entire distributed solar project design and net metering approval process, which is crucial in today’s era of social distancing and remote business operations driven by COVID-19 globally.

For one of India’s largest foreign investors, it’s time to invest in renewables.

U.S.-owned analyst Wood Mackenzie expects solar demand to decline but predicts the market will recover, with the prospects for the energy transition remaining intact.

Under joint venture ‘Shuchi Anant Virya,’ Fourth Partner Energy has commissioned solar powered charging facilities in Gurugram and Pune which will enable commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet operator Lithium Urban Technologies to charge around 30 and 40 EVs, respectively, at the same time.

The government has been quick to announce major infrastructure projects for Ladakh, realizing the union territory’s potential for production of solar energy, which could be a boon for the entire country.

The grid-connected, ground-mounted projects—to be set on turnkey basis—shall come up at Chennur (11 MW) and Kothagudam (23 MW) sites of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). Bids can be submitted till April 20.

The state has an overall potential of generating 17,755 MW of electricity from floating solar over 877 sq.km of water surface area in its reservoirs.

The selected developers shall set up renewable power projects on build-own-operate basis anywhere in India and complement the generated renewable power with thermal power, if needed, to ensure round-the-clock power supply.

The renewables business of the conglomerate will undertake its first project across the border by providing engineering, procurement and construction services on a Rs12.6 crore, 3.1 MW array for a German-Bangladeshi knitwear company which will buy the power generated for Rs5.71518/kWh.

A new, non-destructive technique has been proposed by researchers who say identifying early-stage discoloration in EVA encapsulants can help detect degradation in solar panels before power output is affected. The IIT Bombay group used an ultraviolet accelerated aging test during 34 days on three encapsulant samples.

Proposals must reach the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, and Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of the Republic of Korea by May 8. Each selected project will be funded for a period of three years.

The ChargeGrid Flare, costing around Rs 95,000, shall enable faster deployment of curbside vehicle charging with less street clutter than other approaches.

March 30 is the last date to bid for the solar capacity tendered by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited. The project—to be set up on turnkey basis—shall come up at Panchet power station of Damodar Valley Corporation and shall be awarded through domestic competitive bidding followed by reverse auction.

Based in Gurugram, the factory is spread over 30,000 sq.ft and can produce 240 MWh of high-temperature battery storage solutions annually. These batteries can charge to 80% capacity within two hours and operate in excess of 55ºC, which makes them suitable for hot, humid tropical climates.

Demand for batteries is going nowhere but up, as new factories seem to appear almost every week with promises to power electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid-connected storage. But the lithium-ion technology that all of these rely on is not without drawbacks, and a whole host of new storage solutions is eager to get out of the laboratory.

Developers are also expected to drag their heels over project completion during the first half of the year as the safeguarding duty applied to imported Chinese and Malaysian solar products is due to expire at the end of July.

While China continues to be the top solar module exporter to India, Thailand doubled its module exports to India from $55.05 million in 2018-19 to $110.39 million during the first nine months (April-December) of the current fiscal. Vietnam’s module exports to India also rose sharply from $91.97 million to $127.21 million.

Scientists at Germany’s Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin have made a discovery they say could greatly increase the energy storage capacity of titanium-based ‘MXene’ pseudocapacitors, ultimately leading to faster-charging batteries. The group found adding urea molecules between MXene layers increased the material’s storage capacity by up to 56%.

The thin-film cell was manufactured through a low-temperature process and doping with alkali elements.

The all-India installed capacity for power generation is projected to rise to 619 GW by the end of 2026-27 from 369 GW as on February 29, 2020. The optimal generation mix will, however, depend on the development of storage technology and renewable energy.

A report by Norwegian energy consultant DNV GL has considered the opportunity for long-term energy storage to play a role in balancing annual supply and demand fluctuations in a renewables-led grid. Using 58 years of Dutch weather and energy consumption data, the study found long-term solutions such as green hydrogen could make a valuable contribution – but perhaps not as much as some analysts believe.

The International Water Management Institute is promoting the Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience (SoLAR) initiative to expand the use of solar irrigation systems throughout Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Proponents of solar irrigation pumps say that they can have a strong positive impact on groundwater.

Fuel cell systems provide sustainable electricity using hydrogen gas without the need of grid power as required by conventional battery backup systems, making them highly useful for applications like Emergency Operation Centres which need to respond immediately during an emergency situation with state-of-the-art communication systems.

Researchers in China have ranked some of the most commonly used battery chemistries according to parameters deemed important for grid-level storage. The team gave a score in each category and determined a winner – and it wasn’t lithium-ion.

Annual renewable energy balancing between resource-surplus and resource-deficit states can help solve DISCOM woes while ensuring their compliance to renewable purchase obligations.

India is fostering a digital future via Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ initiative – a national blockchain strategy that includes quantum computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, as digital technologies become the primary platform for economic activity and growth.

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.

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.

Net metering benefits are now allowed across categories, including commercial and industrial consumers. Further, under net metering mechanism, consumption limit of 300 units for the residential category has been removed. This will help consumers set off their entire consumption against their system’s self-generation, benefiting them greatly.