Climate Change

Deploying commercial and industrial PV in China without subsidy is already profitable in some areas, according to a new study, but prohibitive soft costs and cheap electricity are the main barriers for such installations in areas where grid parity remains out of reach.

A combination approach is more suitable than standalone carbon pricing and standard renewable portfolio scenarios for India to meet its climate targets, says a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers.

The cost of solar power generation in India has fallen to half the level seen in many other markets in the region due to extensive solar resource, market scale and competition.

The charging stations should preferably be connected with grid-connected solar power plants of required capacity as per MNRE guidelines. The deadline for submission of the proposals is August 20.

Wasteful use of water for solar panel cleaning is posing these areas to a high level of water risk. To justify its environment-friendly tag, the industry needs to replace manual cleaning with technologies providing water-efficient solutions.

Falling PV panel prices led to notable year-on-year falls in the cost of developing solar plants around the world. India led the way with PV projects costing a weighted average of just $793/kW of capacity installed in 2018. Costs in China dipped to $879/kW last year, while solar projects in US and Australia cost $1,500.

The private-sector integrated power company will cease to build new coal-fired capacity. Instead, it eyes 70% of new capacity additions coming from solar, wind and hydro through to year 2025.

By 2050, energy use for cooling is projected to triple. Also by 2050, demand for cooling in countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will grow fivefold, putting pressure on already strained energy systems and hampering efforts to curb climate change.

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, and Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) have created funding mechanisms through which companies may seek support for joint R&D projects. The projects should aim to develop renewable, energy storage and waste management technologies that can be commercialized over two years through joint cooperation between India and Sweden.

Given the existing trajectory of wind, solar and other renewable sources, India will reach 144 GW renewable energy capacity by FY2021-22—not far from the aspirational 175 GW target set back in 2015. This places India on track for exceeding its 275 GW target in 2027.