Off-grid solar

The Climate Investment Platform launched by three multilateral bodies in September is now open for business and renewables companies in developing nations across 14 regions including south Asia could qualify for help with clean energy facilities, renewables-related grid improvements and energy efficiency schemes.

Developers are also expected to drag their heels over project completion during the first half of the year as the safeguarding duty applied to imported Chinese and Malaysian solar products is due to expire at the end of July.

With Rs 118.27 crore in the current financial till February 10, Gujarat is way ahead among all states and union territories in getting the central financial support for new and renewable energy generation.

Scientists in India have tested a new inverter topology with a single-phase, induction-motor water pump. The seven-level inverter, with five power semiconductor switches, is said to be particularly efficient at reducing switching losses thanks to a pulse width modulation technique.

Eleven per cent reported an increase in income levels by up to $66 per month on average. The impacts are seen even though a majority of solar home system customers also have grid access, highlighting that, as a complement to the grid, small scale solar still has a key role to play.

Capacity additions for the current fiscal year are set to exceed the previous accounting period’s 8,532 MW. With Rs405 billion invested in clean energy in the last fiscal year, spending in the first nine months of 2019-20 has been estimated at Rs367 billion.

South Central Railway’s Nandyal-Yerraguntla section in Guntakal Division has been declared as the first solar section in India that has all of its stations in one stretch powered by solar panels.

Norwegian analyst Rystad Energy has predicted the stop on PV tenders in Karnataka will see Rajasthan become India’s leading solar state this year. The market research firm expects India to add only 10 GW new solar in 2020, however, and the same figure in 2021.

The annual global outlook report for solar published by IHS Markit notes there was no real uptick in the amount of new capacity added last year, compared with the returns seen in 2018. That is likely to kill any hope India has of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s second biggest solar market in 2020.

Ceiling tariff is fixed at Rs 3.13 per unit for the 30 MW grid-connected projects that are to be set up by state-run generators using domestically made equipment. The 940 KW of off-grid solar capacity is tendered under state budgetary support for year 2019-20.