The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited comments of all the stakeholders on the solar PV water pumping system specifications set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

For the purchase, the government of Tamil Nadu is seeking a loan from German state-owned development bank KfW, at an interest rate of 2%, according to reports.

A proposed investment in railways and roads offers an opportunity to harness solar for commercial vehicles and public transport. However, the 2019 federal budget does not address the industry’s call for varied financing options for solar projects or a plea to treat consumers’ solar borrowings as home loans.

Reaffirming Indian government’s commitment to promote renewable energy, Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal laid emphasis on the need for increased use of electric vehicles and new-age energy solutions. He also highlighted that the Indian government would meet its target of universal household electrification by the end of March 2019.

Suzlon has sold its majority stake in subsidiary Prathamesh Solarfarms for Rs 57.09 crore. It had set up the subsidiary, in partnership with Ostro Energy, for a 50 MW solar project at Wanaparthy in Telangana.

General Electric (GE) intends to consolidate all of its renewable and grid assets into a single unit, intensifying focus on the growing renewable energy market.

The overall private player driven market could grow to Rs 26,178 million by 2023 from current Rs 7,051 million, while the government driven market would increase from Rs 31,700 million to Rs 75,000 million. Most of the future sales is likely to come from solar lanterns with additional services, for example, mobile charging, radio, and solar home systems—according to a latest report by GOGLA.

To encourage Make In India, the Indian government has slashed the customs duty on electric vehicle (EV) parts and components to 10-15%. Earlier, EV parts and components imported for assembly in India attracted duties of between 15 and 30%. The move will eventually make EVs cheaper and encourage their adoption in India.

While the rail sector carries 8% of the world’s passengers and 7% of global freight transport, it represents only 2% of total transport energy demand, thus highlighting its efficiency. By diversifying energy sources and providing more efficient mobility, rail can lower transport energy use, and reduce carbon dioxide and local pollutant emissions, say International Energy Agency (IEA) analysts.

India’s Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has tendered 1.5 GW worth of solar cell and module manufacturing capacity linked to ISTS connected solar PV power plants for an aggregate capacity of 3 GW. The plants are to be developed on ‘build own operate’ basis. The maximum tariff payable to the project developers has been fixed at Rs 2.75/kWh for 25 years.