Uma Gupta
Solar buying from India, China rises as US imposes steel tariffs
US companies have boosted sourcing of completed racks from abroad in order to avoid the tariff on raw material [steel] imports, says Bloomberg.
Urja Global to make electric cars and Lithium-ion batteries in Andhra Pradesh
New Delhi based Urja Global will set up an integrated plant for electric vehicles and Lithium-ion batteries at an investment of Rs 200 crore. The announcement comes hot on the heels of US-based Tecchren Batteries’ Lithium-ion venture in the state.
Cabinet approves FAME II scheme for electric vehicles
The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore over a period of three years will be implemented from April 1, 2019. It envisages setting up of about 2700 charging stations across the country so that at least one charging station is available in a grid of 3×3 km2.
“The best is yet to come in off-grid solar” – Greenlight senior VP
India is the world’s largest market for distributed, small-scale household solar, according to a report by off-grid energy’s industry association GOGLA. By the middle of last year, it accounted for 30% of global off-grid solar product sales. Dhaval Radia, senior VP at Greenlight Planet (a solar energy solutions provider to rural consumers) gives pv magazine his insights into the market.
SECI tenders 97.5MW rooftop solar projects for government buildings
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids for implementation of 97.5MWp grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems on government buildings in different States/Union Territories of India. The projects, under both CAPEX and RESCO models, will be awarded through international competitive bidding. The deadline for bid submission is March 27.
Solar made up 50% of India’s new power capacity in 2018
The level of new solar capacity – 8,263 MW – however, was 15.5% down from the 9,782 MW added in 2017 owing to safeguarding duty and GST taking a toll on large-scale PV. While utility-scale solar declined 23% year-on-year, rooftop PV remained a bright spot, and registered impressive growth of 66%.
Anti-dumping duty slapped on Malaysian solar glass
The Indian government has imposed anti-dumping duty of $114.58/metric ton on tempered solar glass imports originating in or exported from Malaysia. The five-year duty will be applied to products from producers except Xinyi Solar Sdn. Bhd.
Electric vehicles off to a good start in 2019
Following Tamil Nadu’s plans to purchase 2000 electric buses, Karnataka aims to convert half the government vehicles in Bengaluru to electric by 2019 end. Further, Delhi has allocated Rs 100 crore to electric vehicles in its budget for 2019-20.
Waaree Energies eyes 100 MW rooftop solar in 2019-20
The Mumbai-based solar PV panel manufacturer and EPC contractor aims to commission 100 MW rooftop projects in the financial year 2019-20, generating a revenue of Rs 400 crore from this segment alone.
1.2 GW solar auction sees slight rise in tariffs
As against the all-time low of Rs 2.44 per unit recorded in July last year, the latest SECI auction saw the lowest winning tariff of Rs 2.55 per unit offered by ReNew Power. Other winners included Azure Power, Eden Renewable and SoftBank-backed SB Energy.
