Installations

Floating PV is a growing market, especially in Asian countries with land pressures. However, like many promising niches, it is growing faster than the standards surrounding it. With installed floating PV capacity set to double in 2021, a raft of various and sometimes competing standards are being floated, but the question remains – what is truly the best way forward?

The 6.2MWp solar carport at Tata Motors’ plant in Maharashtra spans over 30,000 square meters. It will generate 86.4 lakh kWh of electricity per year, helping to offset about 7,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.

An international research team has designed a residential solar-plus-storage system based on gravity. The system was built with a solar power generator, a bulk booster charge controller, an inverter, a solenoid device, a deep cycle battery, a pulley block, a geared motor, a microcontroller, and wire ropes. Its creators said the system is ideal for regions with high solar radiation. They found that, due to its high electrical requirements, the system needs to rely on high-power solar modules with an output of over 500 W.

Danish fund IFU will hold 39% ownership and United Nations’ S3i 10% in Acme Solar’s 250 MW Rajasthan project. Acme holds the majority stake of 51%.

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Solar Energy Corporation of India to arrange blended renewable energy, including solar power, for the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor.

Ruchi Gupta is a research fellow at the University of Geneva’s Institute for Environmental Sciences. She focuses on how flexibility options, such as sector coupling with hydrogen production, can support renewable energy integration and decarbonize a wide range of sectors.

Solar module prices have increased by about 15-20% over the last 4-5 months to around 22-23 cents/watt as of date. As PV modules comprise about 50-55% of the overall project cost, such an increase in the module price level, if sustained, may moderate the debt service coverage metrics for developers by about 12-14 basis points. 

Austria-headquartered Borealis has deployed Indian manufacturer Waaree Energies’ modules for the rooftop solar installation at its plant in Italy. The modules use Borealis’ encapsulation film.

The state-owned hydropower producer plans to bid for 1 GW out of 5 GW grid-connected solar capacity tendered under the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme. In a pre-bid arrangement, it has tied up with NDMC for the sale of power from its solar projects at an INR 2.44/kWh (US$ 0.033/kWh) tariff for 25 years.

India’s solar-powered irrigation mission has had a sluggish run despite the PM-KUSUM scheme providing ample flexibility and budgetary support for the system implementation. An IEEFA report highlights the need to address the challenges of coordination, affordability, business models, technology and awareness creation at State level to increase the uptake.