Finance

The subsidies to renewable energy went from a high of Rs 15,313 crore in FY2017 to Rs 9,930 crore in FY2019. At the same time, government subsidies for oil and gas went up from Rs 40,762 crore in FY2017 to Rs 67,679 crore in FY2019. Unprecedented resource crunch post-Covid-19, however, presents a good opportunity for the government to rein in specific fossil fuel subsidies while creating more fiscal room for promoting renewables and other welfare schemes—according to a new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

Researchers from Finland’s Lappeenranta University of Technology have assessed the economic advantages of a fully interconnected global network. They found that an international grid could contribute to a global LCOE of €52.50/MWh. The higher complexity of such a system, however, would only be marginally compensated by additional economic benefits.

Up to 150 GW of PV and wind projects could be postponed or canceled throughout the Asia-Pacific region by 2024 if the coronavirus-triggered recession continues beyond the current year, according to new research by Wood Mackenzie.

Given Covid-19 spread, India’s ministry has decided to conduct the third Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and exposition (3rd RE-Invest)—scheduled from October 15 to 17—on a digital platform. The ministry has sought proposals for an interactive IT platform to facilitate the same.

The Indian government is working on the creation of a Rs 10,000 crore (US$1.3 billion) alternative investment fund to provide payments to PV developers.

CLP India acquired Mahindra Renewables’ complete stake in Divine Solren for Rs 124.47 crore. Divine Solren is a special purpose vehicle formed by the Mahindra group to set up a 50 MW solar plant in Adilabad district of Telangana. The plant was commissioned in 2017.

The financial lender will now oversee the implementation of the second phase of the Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Scheme which provides viability gap funding (VGF) support for state-run generators to set up 12 GW of solar projects using domestically-made equipment by FY 2022-23.

Pinaki Bhattacharyya, Amp Energy India MD and CEO, speaks to pv magazine about the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the solar industry and the ways in which the government can build a positive sentiment in the industry.

Yinson will pay Rs 554 million (RM32 million) for the stake, and additional funding of Rs 600 million (RM35 million) to repay certain outstanding liabilities of the Indian independent power producer which has two plants in the massive Bhadla Solar Park.

This article talks about the areas the government needs to address both immediately and in the long run to help the ailing solar industry in the country.