Utility Scale PV

The nation installed 1 GW of solar power capacity and 0.2 GW wind during the pandemic-hit first two months of the current fiscal. The cumulative addition was double that of the same period during the previous year. 

After raising equity investment for a 250 MW project, the Indian developer has signed a deal with Brookfield Renewable to develop a 450 MW solar project in Rajasthan. 

The Finnish clean energy company, which works primarily on a build-operate-transfer model in India, has signed the agreement to divest its 250 MW solar plant in Karnataka and 250 MW in Rajasthan to UK investor Actis. The transaction is valued at approximately EUR 280 million and will enable Fortum to invest in building new projects.

In a white paper, the three Chinese module manufacturers have reiterated the well-known refrain “bigger is not always better.” Experts from the three companies compared the BoS costs of 182mm-wafer-based modules and 210mm products, and found that the former have a slight advantage in racking, foundation, and land costs.

The power ministry has announced that the exemption on grid charges is now available to solar and wind projects to be commissioned up to June 30, 2025. The waiver is also allowed for pumped-hydro storage and battery energy storage system projects.

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%.

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. 

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.