The Indian multinational EPC contractor will increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix across its campuses and project sites as part of efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

The captive solar plant in Mumbai is being developed by Cleantech through a special purpose vehicle called Sunsole Renewables. The solar electricity generated will power manufacturing operations at Siemens’ Kalwa factory in Maharashtra.

India needs to install an average of 25 GW solar capacity every year to reach its renewable energy target of ‘450 GW by 2030’ with over 60% (280 GW) from solar. The nation must build enough manufacturing capacity back home to be ready on the supply side to support the new installations. 

The International Solar Alliance (ISA), which aims to mobilize more than $1 trillion of solar power investment by 2030 in its member countries, expanded its scope of work by launching programs on solar panel and battery waste management and solar-powered hydrogen production in its fourth assembly held recently.

Parity in the total cost of ownership already exists for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers (with subsidy) vis-à-vis their internal combustion engine counterparts. Policy impetus, coupled with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for batteries and auto components (exclusively covering EVs), is likely to further reduce costs and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The transition will also open up the market for new-age companies and innovators across the value chain.

South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution has launched a new inverter in the Australian market, adding a 5 kW hybrid inverter to its Residential Energy Storage Unit (RESU) Home battery energy storage range.

A new study from researchers at the universities of Lancaster and Reading in the UK has managed to quantify the economic boost provided by the symbiotic relationship between solar farms and honeybee hives.

The levelized cost of solar electricity generation from a given rooftop area is the lowest in India (US$66/MWh) and China ($68/MWh), with the USA ($238/MWh) and UK ($251/MWh) representing some of the costliest countries, according to an international study based on data available as of 2018. The study also finds China (4.3 PWh/year), USA (4.2 PWh/year), and India (1.7 PWh/year) have the highest yearly potential of rooftop solar energy generation.

The floating solar plant, located at Meghadrigedda reservoir in Visakhapatnam, occupies 0.005 sq. km out of 5 sq.km of the reservoir area.  

State-owned coal miner The Singareni Collieries Company Limited has invited bids from project management consultants for its 250 MWp DC floating solar power plant in Telangana. The selection will be made through domestic competitive bidding followed by reverse auction.

A new report finds the current credit rating mechanism for power distribution companies in India is highly linked to their operational and financial performance. The report highlights the need to revise discom ratings to reflect their green mandates, decarbonization plans, and tariff implications to resolve the challenges of payables (and receivables).

Manufacturing giant JinkoSolar has set another world record for n-type solar cell efficiencies with its TOPCon technology, this time pushing to 25.4%. The new world record was confirmed by JET laboratories in Japan, and surpasses JinkoSolar’s previous record of 25.25% set back in May.

Reliance New Energy Solar has signed an agreement with Danish firm Stiesdal A/S to develop and manufacture Stiesdal HydroGen electrolyzers for green hydrogen production in India.  

Cell manufacturers are expected to prioritize larger customers in the automotive industry over relatively small energy storage system integrators.

Today, both Reliance and Fortescue are realizing the huge investment, employment, import replacement and export opportunities in zero emissions industries of the future, both for India and Australia. And they look to be leading the way, fully supported by global financial institutions increasingly seeking to deploy trillions of patient capital in low volatility, non-commodity price exposed zero-emissions energy sources of the future.

India has seen substantial activity in the domestic battery storage and green hydrogen markets, from the entry of Reliance and Acme Solar in green hydrogen to gigawatt-scale battery storage tenders by NTPC and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). There are more private ventures in the offing, indicating the government’s policy push is in the right direction.  

PV manufacturing giant Trina Solar says it has agreed with other industry players on a set of standard dimensions and other technical specifications for PV modules utilizing 210mm wafers – the largest currently available on the market. The manufacturer says it expects the China Photovoltaic Industry Association to formally release the standard before the end of October.

A report from Australia’s Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre which analysed the development of battery hubs in the U.S., Germany and Japan, has found that co-location and cooperation between industry and government were key to their success. For Australia to play the same game, it will have to leverage its wealth of resources, and clean up its act along the way.

The renewable energy arm of NTPC seeks to enter into sourcing partnerships with Indian manufacturers for 15 GW of solar modules over the next five years. Manufacturers planning to set up their facilities in the next six months under the production-linked incentive (PLI) Scheme of the government of India are also eligible to apply.

The EnerPack from Indian manufacturer Jakson consists of a hybrid inverter, lithium ferro phosphate batteries, and an intelligent energy management system that can smartly combine grid power, solar power, wind power, and even diesel generator power supply to maximize the use of renewable energy.

The draft guidelines and the draft tender document inviting bids for setting up standalone battery energy storage systems in India have been uploaded on the SECI site. The final tender document will be issued based on the comments and discussions with the prospective bidders on the draft guidelines and draft tender documents.

Magenta, in collaboration with State power discom BSES, will deploy innovative EV charging solutions in the discom’s service area in Delhi. It will undertake the installation, operations and maintenance of EV charging solutions under the ChargeGrid brand.

A power system modeling study, jointly carried out by Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) and Wärtsilä, explores the feasibility of a net-zero-emissions power system in India by 2050. It shows that an all-renewables power system, when paired with flexible generation technologies (thermal balancing power plants and energy storage), can improve the affordability of electricity while ensuring the reliability of system operations.

The system has dimensions of 834×417×1,766 mm and weighs 205 kg including the design panel. It achieves an electrical efficiency of 56% and can be connected with a hot water storage unit.

The venture capital arm of British energy company bp has invested $13 million in BluSmart in a $25 million Series A funding round. The investment will help BluSmart bring its electric vehicles and charging stations to five major cities.

Solar pioneer Philip Wolfe looks at areas where solar generating stations are clustered together, without the coordination of organised solar parks.

The Indian solar power sector is undergoing a technology-backed transformation at every stage from manufacturing to installation to improve cost and performance efficiency.

A combination of booming demand for coal-fired power and a shortage of the black stuff – exacerbated by a political row with Australia – have forced up prices to the extent fossil fuel generators are making a loss on every unit of electricity they produce. pv magazine‘s Vincent Shaw considers the potential solutions.

To achieve its sustainability targets, Southeast Asia will require integrated strategy and execution across generation, transmission, and distribution, as well as planning that balances both capital and operational expenditures. The regional power industry will need partners who can merge data analytics with engineering expertise to deliver timely and actionable insights that realize the full potential of assets and facilities.

The current proposed draft policy has the potential to act as a game-changer for the renewable energy industry. However, the government needs to relook at certain elements.