Finance

The developer’s three arms, which collectively have 930 MW of operational solar power projects, have raised INR 612.30 crore (US$81.96 million) through their maiden domestic bond issuance. The proceeds will be utilized to part-refinance existing rupee term loan bearing higher interest cost.

U.S-based solid-state battery start-up Sparks has opened a pilot plant for its patented lithium battery technology based on zero cobalt cathodes. The company wants to challenge China’s dominance in next-gen battery development.

With the issuance of sovereign green bonds, several global investors will be interested in taking exposure to the Indian renewable energy market that is brimming with opportunities in hybrid, storage, round-the-clock, and rooftop solar projects.

Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with ProLogium to integrate solid-state battery technology into a range of passenger vehicles; Panasonic and Toyota have launched an industrial-academic collaborative research program concerned with battery resources and recycling; and LG Energy Solution plans to spend $2.1 billion with General Motors to build another electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S.

With solar water pumps, farmers have access to high-quality power available for irrigation. These systems are portable and can be assembled at any preferred location. With the growing utilization of these systems, the costs have decreased substantially, making them an efficient, convenient, and cost-effective solution for grid-isolated rural areas. 

Ratings agency Crisil analysts estimate India will have 38-43GW of annual solar module manufacturing capacity by the end of March 2025. Production capacity will be driven by strong domestic demand, favorable government policy, raised module conversion efficiency, and price competitiveness, according to the ratings agency.

The state-owned power company, a partner of the International Solar Alliance, will help the Cuban government with developer selection and the signing of project agreements and will oversee solar plant implementation up to commissioning.

Director Nidhi Gupta told pv magazine that the company had signed the agreement to invest INR 500 crore (US$67.2 million) in building a 120 MW solar park in the Bikaner district of the State. The solar park will provide plug-and-play infrastructure for captive solar projects.

The production-linked incentives scheme for advance-chemistry battery cell manufacturing received an encouraging response with bids received for 2.6 times the 50 GWh manufacturing capacity to be awarded.

The Mukesh Ambani-led diversified business conglomerate has agreed to invest INR 5 lakh crore (US$67.6 billion) in building 100 GW of renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen eco-system in the State. It will also invest INR 60,000 crore (US$8.1 billion) in setting up manufacturing facilities for new and renewable energy equipment including solar modules, electrolyzers, energy-storage batteries, and fuel cells.