Highlights

A new report looks at the rising dependence of India’s DISCOMs on electricity subsidies, despite concerted bailout efforts by the central government. It assesses various states’ performance in reining in DISCOMs’ financial losses and enhancing their overall efficiency over the last five years. Building on these findings, the study suggests reforms in the distribution and design of subsidies to increase power companies’ revenues as consumption surges.

The selected applicants are required to execute projects across categories like solar-powered cold storage, solar water pumps, solar-powered reverse-osmosis water systems and off-grid solar systems for primary health care centers on a turnkey basis. The work includes engineering, supply, erection, commissioning along with maintenance support for three years.

The intra-state transmission infrastructure is the weakest link in the grid. The introduction of competition from private players can help drive down construction costs and promote timely completion of projects, assisting the absorption of low-cost, domestic renewable energy generation.

The Israeli developer of module cleaning robots has bagged an order from Indian solar developer Azure Power to deploy its water-free cleaning solution across a 450 MW solar project in Rajasthan.

TP Renewable Microgrid has installed an aggregate 3 MW of solar microgrid capacity with its 100th project commissioned in Ratnapur, Uttar Pradesh. 

The hill state in northern India has added the electric bus footprint with the service flagged off in the capital city Dehradun. The state government plans to start 30 such eco-friendly electric buses in this financial year. The buses, supplied by Olectra Greentech, will run in Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Haridwar.

The current developer-EPC model has increasingly turned to focus on quality over a two-year horizon. This contrasts with long-term owners who are focused on quality over the lifetime of their projects (20 to 40 years). With long-term owners now buying projects in the pre-construction phase, the current model looks set for disruption. Olivier Crepon, managing director at Skyray Engineering, reviews the emerging model of project development and explains how it will impact developers, EPCs, and third-party services and ultimately lead to a stronger, more mature PV sector.

The rebranding to Saft Urja—from Amco Saft—reflects the battery manufacturer’s strategic approach to better leverage the Indian market. The company has also announced plans to increase its production capacity at Bangalore factory by 20%, enhance the workforce at its design office and launch new industrial battery products for India region.

The Japanese firm, which established the lab in association with Germany-headquartered technical advisor PI Berlin, eventually plans to set up a diagnostic business for solar panels and power plants in India.

The rating considers the central government’s direct ownership and very strong level of control, the company’s important policy role as a financier to encourage renewable energy investments in India, and its status as a nodal agency to carry out the government’s initiatives for the sector.