State-run hydropower producer THDC has formed a 74:26 joint venture with Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corp. Ltd to develop 10 GW of renewable energy projects in Rajasthan. The JV partners also plan floating solar and pumped hydro storage projects in the state.

Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC) has subscribed to 16% of Adani Enterprises $2.5 billion Further Public Offering. This is IHC’s second investment deal completed with Adani Group after last year’s $2 billion investment in Adani Green Energy, Adani Transmission, and Adani Enterprises.

While the current policy regime supports the adoption of flexible resources like batteries, grid flexibility and resilience require more focus and a range of calibrated efforts, including due acknowledgment as a sector priority and robust planning at the central and state level. The upcoming union budget provides an opportunity for the government to develop flexible and resilient grids.

The Indian conglomerate has issued a 413-page response to the allegations made by the US-based short seller Hindenburg.

Players in the electric vehicle (EV) hope the government will bring down the goods and services tax (GST) on EV batteries to 5% and lower duties on raw materials required for cell manufacturing. They also call for easy, low-cost EV finance to drive customer adoption. 

The 100 MW co-located, wind-solar hybrid renewable power project in Maharashtra will supply clean power to commercial and industrial (C&I) customers in the state.

State-owned Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL) has commissioned 5 MW of its planned 15 MW floating solar plant at the Singareni Thermal Power Station reservoir in Telangana. The plant was built by Hyderabad-headquartered Novus Green Energy Systems using glass-to-glass PV modules.

French specialist Sun’Agri unveiled the agronomic results on a crop of eggplant grown in a greenhouse commissioned in the Lot-et-Garonne in September, 2020.

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd has tendered the balance-of-system (BoS) package with land for 1 GW of solar projects with green shoe option for additional 500 MW. Bidding is open until January 21.

Indian developer Acme and the Norwegian investment fund have signed the framework agreement to co-invest in developing potential renewable energy projects in India.

US-based Salgenx has developed a scalable redox flow battery with two separate tanks of electrolytes, one of which is saltwater. Unlike other flow batteries, the new device is membrane-free, promising big gains at the levelized cost of storage level.

Antora Energy says its new 2 MW factory will make thermophotovoltaic cells for thermal storage applications. The cells are based on III-V semiconductors and reportedly have a heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of more than 40%.

The Pune-headquartered solar pump controller and solar cold storage solutions provider will use the funds to expand beyond India and tap business opportunities beyond agriculture. 

Canadian scientists have developed a new way to measure the energy yield of bifacial PV systems. They said they considered the spectral albedo of ground cover like snow and sand to predict energy gains of up to 2%, in comparison with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard.

Scientists in Austria have developed a long-term energy storage system that uses regenerative braking to adjust the descent speed of sand in mine shafts and generate electricity.

Spanish PVT specialist Abora Solar has developed aH72SK modules, which combine solar panels with power conversion efficiencies of 17.8% and a thermal efficiency rating of around 70%. Its total area is 1.96 square meters.

The Chinese government is considering the introduction of export restrictions on solar wafers, black silicon, and silicon casting equipment. It has launched a public consultation process on the proposed measures.

Organic Electronics Technologies (OET) has announced the start of a European-funded project that will develop and build an automated manufacturing production line for integrated printed organic photovoltaics in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The latest update to the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) includes Gautam Solar’s mono PERC ten-busbar half-cut and mono PERC five-busbar full-cell panels.

The State government has signed agreements for various giga-scale projects across renewable energy generation, solar manufacturing, pumped hydro storage, and green hydrogen.                                                                                                                

The central government and the state government of Karnataka have signed an agreement with Bengaluru-headquartered Rajesh Exports to lend support and a tailormade incentive package for its 5 GWh lithium cell factory in Karnataka.

India’s largest EV store chain, which has a pan-India retail network of 100+ outlets, has entered the Sri Lankan 2-wheeler market through a joint venture company with cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga. The company will also start EV assembly in India by the end of December and roll out its products using battery technology developed with partner iPower.  

The US-based company has been granted patents in India and China for its smart battery management system that monitors the thermal storage capacity of the phase-change material and automatically adjusts the power output of the battery packs and cells.

Servotech Power Systems has supplied 1,400 EV chargers in a span of three months in various cities across India.

The private-sector power producer has been awarded 500 MW/1 GWh of standalone, grid-connected battery energy storage projects by the Solar Energy Corp. of India Ltd. It will set up the projects on a build-own-operate-transfer basis.

Here are three trends in the solar sector that will gain momentum in 2023, leading to wider PV implementation.

With the latest generation of household devices increasingly connected and internet-of-things (IoT)-enabled, dye-sensitized solar cells can finally realize their latent promise and help reduce the carbon footprint of billions of manufactured goods.

Today, following the ESG (environmental, social and governance) mandate is more than just ticking off a box in the compliance checklist. It is taking ownership of the consequences of the businesses and working towards creating a positive impact by partnering with the right groups.  

Three import deals signed by the EU at Sharm El Sheikh during this month’s COP27 summit show the European Union is serious about harnessing green hydrogen for its heavy industry, and about distributing the fruits of the energy transition on an equitable basis.

Solutions for catalyzing rooftop solar in the rural commercial and industrial market have to be looked at in terms of geographic clusters. This allows for the aggregation of demand, making it easy to run awareness campaigns in a targeted manner.