Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has exempted solar projects to be commissioned till March 31, 2024, from the requirement to source modules from the Approved Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) list. The move provides developers with the flexibility to source modules at the most cost-competitive rates.

Gautam Solar has supplied 70 MW of PV panels to solar projects in the states of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh over a period of four months.

TrendForce says polysilicon will be 3.2% cheaper in March than in February. This will lead to lower wafer, cell and module prices and will effectively spur installation demand.

Scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer ISE and US panel maker Solaria have applied thermal laser separation and post-metallization passivated edge technology to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cell production. They have developed shingle PV devices that are more efficient than cells built with conventional laser scribing and mechanical cleaving methods.

Adani Group has committed to building 15 GW of renewable power projects in Andhra Pradesh, while Reliance announced its 10 GW solar plans for the state. Avaada, Greenko, Indosol, and ReNew have also pledged massive investments into the state’s renewables sector.

Reliance Industries Ltd will invest in building 10 GW of solar energy generation capacity in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It has also applied for 6 GW of poly-to-module capacity under the second round of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for solar manufacturing which received bids from eleven companies in total. 

Triveni Glass is the latest to venture into solar glass production after Asahi India Glass, Gold Plus Glass Industry, and Chiripal Group. It plans an 840tpd factory with an estimated investment of INR 1,000 crore.

The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has certified that a South Korean research team has achieved a 25.73% efficiency rating with a perovskite PV cell based on alkylammonium chlorides. The champion device built by the scientists reached an efficiency of 26.08%.

The investment will fund Tata Power Renewable’s aggressive growth plans as it targets over 20 GW of renewables assets and a market-leading position in the rooftop and electric vehicle charging space across India over the next five years. 

California-based SEG Solar says its new panels have a temperature coefficient of -0.30% per degree Celsius. They come with a 30-year power output guarantee for 87.4% of the initial yield.