Markets

The Solar Energy Corporation of India has invited bids for the development of an aggregate capacity of 20 MW of lagoon-based floating PV with 60 MWh of battery-based storage systems in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

Tariffs retracted distinctly from Rs 2.84 per unit seen in the 700 MW Gujarat solar auction recently, inching closer to the Rs 2.71-2.72 level of Maharashtra’s previous tender.

A new approach could extract carbon from polyethylenes in a cost-competitive way, that could be scaled up. Researchers have also performed electric testing with the extracted carbon and found it suitable for use as anodes in Li-ion batteries, among multiple other uses.

Earlier, UK-based private equity investor had reportedly agreed to buy 685 MW of Essel’s solar power projects (including installed and under-construction) for around Rs 4,700 crore.

U.K. developer Lightsource BP – in which oil and gas giant BP has a significant minority stake – and its Singapore fund partner EverSource Capital are reportedly ready to take up all the $100 million slice of Ayana Renewable Power which is being put up for sale.

The region’s climate, developing economies and demographic growth are driving increased electricity demand in the Middle East and North Africa. However, as a hub of conventional energy supply, the region has been slow to embrace PV. To capture more of the value chain and deliver the full potential of solar, there are increasing calls for distributed generation deployment to play a bigger role.

The power transmission infrastructure developer has submitted bids for two battery energy storage projects, with a cumulative capacity of 400 MW, in the recently concluded auction of Salt River Project utility in Arizona, USA.

India’s renewable power consumption will surge from around 20 million tons of oil equivalent (toe) today to 300 million toe by 2040, predicts oil and gas major BP, mainly in the power sector and driven largely by growth in solar capacity. Yet coal will continue to dominate the country’s power generation mix, accounting for 80% of output, according to BP’s Energy Outlook 2019 report.

Hindustan Powerprojects has executed more than 350 MWp in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea and the U.K. since its establishment in 2008. It claims to have been the largest solar project developer in the UK from 2011-13 and commissioned its first utility-scale project in India in Tamil Nadu in 2010. In an interview with pv magazine, Lalit Jain, CEO for the firm’s international solar business, shared his experience from developed markets, and what it takes to be successful doing business overseas.

Subsidies from central and state bodies will help photovoltaics get within reach of similarly sponsored conventional electricity, which begs the question, why not remove subsidies for both?