Finance

Solar-powered water pumps with a total capacity of 186 kWp have been installed in the Sarlahi and Siraha districts, benefitting 11,865 residents. The projects are a collaborative effort of Nepal’s Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), the Government of Japan, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

With foreign exchange shortages plaguing sub-Saharan African economies, Bank One’s Head of Trade, Gerald Ndosi, explains what measures can be taken to overcome US dollar liquidity challenges, promote trade finance, and foster sustainable economic growth in the region.

The biggest incentive in pushing the rooftop solar projects in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is that it will bring a sizable part of India’s manufacturing under the green protocols. Additionally, it offers the micro-enterprises, which are jointly situated in the industrial clusters, an opportunity to unlock value by making use of their rooftops and vacant spaces for harnessing clean energy.

Strategic acquisitions and subsequent revival of stranded thermal power plants will better serve India’s short-term energy security needs than investing in new ones. 

In a meeting with the French delegation, India’s power minister emphasized the role of insurance for renewable energy projects, payment security mechanism, and debt financing in attracting investment into renewable energy.

The economic burden of air pollution in Bangladesh, for which transport is one of the major reasons, calls for strong policy-level intervention to increase the adoption of electric cars.

Indian developer Amp Energy has secured up to $250 million in growth capital from Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), UK’s Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), and China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Green hydrogen holds the potential to decarbonize critical sectors and provide clean energy solutions. However, it accounts for less than 1% of global hydrogen production. Targeted interventions are required to facilitate a smooth transition toward a green hydrogen economy.

Industry body India Hydrogen Alliance has submitted a plan to the government to build five large national green hydrogen corporations with a collective enterprise value of $5 billion by 2030. The plan shows public finance support, in the form of CAPEX and offtake incentives for National Green H2 Hubs, is crucial for creating financially viable green hydrogen infrastructure, especially in the initial 2024-30 period.

ReNew Energy Global posted a net loss of $61 million for FY 2022-23, compared to $196 million for FY 2021-22.