The winning startups will receive lab-to-market incubation support at the Clean Energy International Incubation Centre (CEIIC), which has been set up by the not-for-profit platform Social Alpha with support from Government of India and Tata Trusts in Delhi.

Removal of solar trade duties, discom reforms, and better central-state government coordination are prerequisites to increase renewable project development in the country.

Panellists including a government representative and a member of the chief policy thinktank used by Narendra Modi agreed coal will continue as the staple source of Indian power into the mid century and technology should be employed to ‘clean’ it.

The Centre will work as a fast-track mechanism in resolving the investors’ issues and taking the ease-of-doing business ranking to a notch higher.

The grid-connected solar project shall come up at a reservoir of NTPC’s Auraiya Gas Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh. It is to be developed under Open category, allowing use of solar cells and modules of any origin.

The total QIA investment in AEML is Rs 3220 crore (US$ 452 million), which includes equity consideration of Rs 1210 crore (US$ 170 million) and shareholder subordinated debt of Rs 2010 crore (US$ 282 million).

Any proponent can install such facility in the country, said Minister of State for Environment, Forest And Climate Change, noting that technologies are available for complete recycling of lithium batteries to recover valuable metals.

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd has invited global bids to set up 500 MW of grid-connected solar projects. It shall enter into a 25-year PPA with successful bidders. Tariff ceiling is set as Rs 2.65/unit. Another tender for 185 MW—floated by Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited—seeks to select EPC contractors for plants ranging from 20 MW to 40 MW, which shall come up at various substations of Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited.

China, Hong Kong and Vietnam are the top three nations exporting batteries to India. Chinese imports were worth $773 million in the last fiscal year with Hong Kong shipping $267 million worth and Vietnam $114 million, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Solar cells and modules will continue to attract zero basic customs duty unless exemption notification 24/2005, dated March 1, 2005 is amended to reflect the 20% increase by Ministry of Finance, said the lobby group.