Off-grid solar

Installers have until September 23 to submit their bids to set up different capacities of off-grid solar plants in Bathinda city. Techno-commercial bids will open on September 24.

India will require large swaths of land for the huge expansion of renewable energy capacity over the coming decades. The energy transition requires planning for proper siting of these plants and solutions like agrivoltaics, distributed energy systems, and offshore wind to reduce land-use conflicts.

‘More than 90’ suppliers of appliances such as solar lanterns and home solar panels, as well as mini-grid installers, will be offered low-interest credit by an assortment of government-backed and privately-financed entities.

Feeding solar electricity directly from its own panels into overhead lines on a fully-electrified rail network would be more cost-effective for the state-owned company than buying that green power from the grid, according to a new study.

Despite rising module prices and lockdown restrictions, the nation maintained its quarterly solar capacity installation above the 2 GW level in the second quarter.

The 3 kW inverter has an efficiency of 95% and features a surge power of 9000 VA. According to the manufacturer, the device is compatible with mainstream lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.

The scope of work includes supply, erection, testing, commissioning, and five-year warranty maintenance of the standalone solar photovoltaic power generators. Bidding closes on August 2.

Loom Solar has installed a solar plus storage system at a small ashram in the hills of Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. The system comprises 6x440W Shark Super high-efficiency PV panels, a 5kWh (100Ah/51.2V) Atom lithium battery, and a 5kVA high-frequency design (string) inverter.

Smart Power India (SPI), a subsidiary of US-based impact investor Rockefeller Foundation, has supported the setting up of more than 300 renewable energy mini-grids cumulating to 9.2 MW of capacity across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, the largest such cluster in India. Jaideep Mukherjee, chief executive officer at SPI, spoke to pv magazine about the role of mini-grids in rural upliftment and the barriers to overcome.

Small and marginal farmers in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar are making productive use of solar energy to reduce their losses and increase income, thanks to an innovative pay-per-use cooling service for perishable horticulture produce.