Earth sciences ministry revisiting weather forecast approach to suit solar sector needs
The Ministry of Earth Sciences will strengthen meteorological forecasting activities in sync with the demands of the solar and wind energy sector stakeholders. It is already working on a five-year (2021-26) plan, said M. Rajeevan, Secretary, MoES, at a virtual workshop conducted recently.
Hyderabad International Airport adds a second 5 MW solar plant
With this, the GMR Hyderabad International Airport now has an aggregate 10 MW solar capacity operational for captive use.
Magenta opens India’s largest public EV charging station
The Magenta electric vehicle charging station in Mumbai has 21 AC/DC chargers, including four DC chargers of 15-50 kW capacity and 17 AC chargers of 3.5-7.5 kW capacity.
Solar module cooling techniques for the desert
Saudi scientists have tested several cooling technologies for solar panels and have found that active techniques work better than passive ones under harsh climatic conditions. The most effective one consists of a system based on four heat pipes immersed in a box of liquid, as liquid bulk, integrated with the back of the solar panel.
NHPC tenders 600 MW solar EPC work in Rajasthan
The state-owned hydropower producer has already identified the land for the solar project in village Deora of the Jaisalmer district. It shall acquire the land on a long-team lease basis to develop the project.
NTPC to set up India’s largest solar park at Rann of Kutch
The state-run power producer will set up a 4.75 GW solar park at Rann of Kutch—a saline desert in the Indian State of Gujarat.
Oriano sees solar project orders surging to 350 MWp
The Mumbai-headquartered solar developer and EPC company is targeting a portfolio of 1+ GW by 2022, with growth fueled by an increased interest in commercial and industrial open-access segment.
SECI tenders 100 MW solar in Chhattisgarh
Bidders have until September 9 to lodge their interest in engineering, procurement, and construction of a 100 MW solar project. The responsibility for the land arrangement lies with the installer.
Solar-plus-storage at a hilltop ashram
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.
The long read: The impact of dust on solar panels matters
Anil Kottantharayil currently leads the Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Science, as well as the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility, at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He works on high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, the impact of dust on solar panels, and the long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules.
