Markets

A failed association with IL&FS has failed to deter SoftBank from its plan to invest a staggering $1tn in Indian solar by 2030. Now the Japanese funding giant is working with Essel Infraprojects on a 500 MW plant, with further details yet to be revealed.

As the currency continued to fall today, analysts are concerned developers will see any savings from falling module prices disappear, and lenders may get nervy, putting the national solar target in grave doubt.

Azure Power has raised the capital since June 30th, and says it is “the largest amount of financing raised by a solar power company in India during this period”. Azure says the fund leaves it well positioned to deliver a 2 GW project pipeline.

The programme allows the installation of solar roof atop apartment blocks, which otherwise could not install such systems. Potential in the area is around 15 MW, of which 6 MW have been signed up for already. Another 5 MW should be developed in this second phase of the project.

Cornering 44% of the total global sales for 3.66 million off-grid solar products in the first half (H1) of 2018, India has emerged as the world’s largest cash market for such products, according to the latest report by Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA).

pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable at this year’s Renewable Energy Expo India (REI), attracted analysts and experts from across the industry, who gathered in Greater Noida to discuss the challenges and opportunities present in the massive Indian solar market.

Following the launch of Greensmith Energy’s new Gridsolv standardized storage solution, which integrates software helpers and standardized architecture for easy installation, pv magazine caught up with CEO John Jung to discuss the state of the storage market and the role of digital services.

Despite political hurdles in key markets including China and Japan, Asia remains highly active. This year, 59 GW of solar is expected to be installed and due to further system price declines, a phase-out of subsidy schemes can be offset.

SECI has opened up to 10 GW of floating PV for expressions of interest to accelerate adoption of the solar platform. The potential generation capacity for the technology in India is enormous, with 700 GW possible if just one-third of the country’s water reservoirs are exploited.

Big players such as Acme, ReNew, Adani, Azure, Hero Future and Aditya Birla Solar are likely to stay away from procurement which requires 3 GW annual manufacturing commitment, says industry insider Gopal Lal Somani.