The solar tree—costing around Rs 3 lakh for 3 kW capacity—auto tracks the sun to generate 10-15% extra power.

A total of three smart grid field pilots are to be set up—two inside the IIT Kanpur campus and one at two village hamlets in Kanpur—under a U.S.-India collaborative project on smart distribution system with storage. The deadline for EoI submission is August 30.

The utility has revealed plans to invest roughly $3 billion in the construction of a 5 GW solar park across two to three locations in Gujarat’s Kutch region. In a separate announcement, the New Delhi-based group opened global bidding to build 1.2 GW of grid-connected solar capacity throughout India.

Startups and individuals are invited to submit their innovative ideas to solve some of the key challenges through application of renewable energy. The innovation should at least be in prototype stage and feasible for deployment. The winner will receive a cash prize of Rs10 lakh, while the first runner up will earn Rs7 lakh and the second runner up Rs5 lakh. Applications close on August 31.

The charging stations will come up in Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram districts of the state, mostly on Kerala State Electricity Board or government land. The last date for submission of expression of interest is October 4.

The ambitious renewable energy target of 523 GW by 2030, coupled with conducive government policies announced recently, will pave the way for increased renewable investment in the coming decade.

The University of Birmingham is a research partner on the Solar Cooling Initiative of International Solar Alliance that aims to spread the use of solar and solar-hybrid energy in agriculture.

To develop cost-competitive solar modules the nation must adopt a phased program and set up 15 GW of silicon-ingot-to-solar-module manufacturing capacity by 2024, according to The Energy and Resources Institute.

Power purchase agreements for 8.6 GW of clean energy have been signed in 2019 till July—up from 7.2 GW at the same time last year—with USA alone accounting for up to 70% of the deals. India continues to lead the Asia Pacific region despite registering a slowdown in the activity.

Bids are invited for supply, installation and commissioning of eight 1250kW 3-phase grid-connected power conditioning units for a 10 MW (AC) solar power plant in Charanka Solar Park of Gujarat. Bids will open on August 26.