India can lead the way in distributed solar – GOGLA interview
India contributed to one-third of the global sales of distributed solar products during January-June 2018. Indian manufacturers can further leverage the International Solar Alliance (ISA) platform to engage with the global market, says Viraj Gada, GOGLA’s India regional representative and spokesperson for The India Distributed Energy Forum and Expo (IDEF), in an interview with pv magazine ahead of the event on January 30 and 31 in New Delhi.
Indian Railways plans 1 GW solar power by 2020-21
The ambitious plan would help Indian Railways source about 10% of its electrical energy from renewables.
2019 PV installations to hit 123 GW, global balance shifting, says IHS
More predictions from IHS Markit reveal that 123 GW of solar PV installations are expected in 2019 – up 18% on the capacity additions expected this year. It also sees a market shift away from China, with two thirds of capacity located elsewhere. The overcapacity situation is also expected to ease.
Haryana: the argument for a rollback of solar incentives
The state has withdrawn its transmission charges waiver for solar projects bigger than 500 MW in capacity. While unhappy developers are protesting, industry experts deem it sensible for the government to apply a limit to – and possibly plan a phased withdrawal of – incentives for the solar sector.
MNRE: Preference will be given to domestically manufactured renewable energy products
The Indian Government has mandated that preference be given to domestically manufactured renewable energy products in public procurement. As per the order, 100% of the solar modules for grid-connected solar power projects must be domestically manufactured.
India will auction 80 GW of solar, wind capacity by March 2020
The Indian Government plans to tender 60 GW of solar and 20 GW of wind capacity by March 2020. This would complete the planned auctions for its targets of 100 GW solar and 60 GW wind installations by 2022, leaving two years for project execution, according to an year-end review by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Green Climate Fund signs $100 million pact for India’s rooftop solar
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have signed an agreement to infuse US$100 million into an ambitious $250 million project designed to unlock private sector initiatives for the creation of rooftop solar power capacity across India.
Auroville search engine will crowdfund solar power for 100 villages in Tamil Nadu
Sustainable development expert Auroville Consulting has launched the Solar Village Search Engine to help fund its Solar Village Initiative, which aims to power 100 villages in Tamil Nadu with solar by the year 2030.
De-risking, financing and capacity building high on ISA agenda – Interview
The iSTAR-C program of India’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) was adjudged an outstanding project during the Paris Peace Forum this month. The program is one of many ISA initiatives to develop solar resources in member countries. After the first assembly of the ISA, interim Director-General Upendra Tripathy tells pv magazine about the organization’s achievements and plans.
Solar, wind cheapest source of new generation in major economies – report
Solar and/or wind are said to be the cheapest source of new energy generation in all major economies, apart from Japan, finds BloombergNEF. It adds that China’s utility-scale PV market has contracted by over a third this year; and that battery costs are set to drop a further 66% by 2030, driven by EV adoption.
