Karnataka tops MNRE’s new rooftop PV index
Karnataka has snagged the top spot on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index.
India needs to stress equity in push for a green economy
Transition to a green economy in India must be ‘just,’ keeping in mind vulnerable livelihoods. It would need to look at the labour surplus issue, especially for those employed in agriculture and informal sectors—said experts at a national consultative workshop held by sustainability thinktank The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi.
CSIR-CMERI develops rotating solar power tree
The solar tree—costing around Rs 3 lakh for 3 kW capacity—auto tracks the sun to generate 10-15% extra power.
IIT Kanpur invites EoI for solar-plus-storage smart grid pilots
A total of three smart grid field pilots are to be set up—two inside the IIT Kanpur campus and one at two village hamlets in Kanpur—under a U.S.-India collaborative project on smart distribution system with storage. The deadline for EoI submission is August 30.
NTPC reveals plan to build 5 GW in Gujarat, opens global bids for 1.2 GW
The utility has revealed plans to invest roughly $3 billion in the construction of a 5 GW solar park across two to three locations in Gujarat’s Kutch region. In a separate announcement, the New Delhi-based group opened global bidding to build 1.2 GW of grid-connected solar capacity throughout India.
Kerala invites EoI for setting up 64 EV charging stations
The charging stations will come up in Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram districts of the state, mostly on Kerala State Electricity Board or government land. The last date for submission of expression of interest is October 4.
India presents a $500-700 billion opportunity in renewables: IEEFA
The ambitious renewable energy target of 523 GW by 2030, coupled with conducive government policies announced recently, will pave the way for increased renewable investment in the coming decade.
UK university to research solar-powered cold chains for Indian agriculture
The University of Birmingham is a research partner on the Solar Cooling Initiative of International Solar Alliance that aims to spread the use of solar and solar-hybrid energy in agriculture.
Commercial solar at grid parity in China but a hard line is needed on soft costs
Deploying commercial and industrial PV in China without subsidy is already profitable in some areas, according to a new study, but prohibitive soft costs and cheap electricity are the main barriers for such installations in areas where grid parity remains out of reach.
Thinktank says India must prioritize a vertically integrated solar supply chain
To develop cost-competitive solar modules the nation must adopt a phased program and set up 15 GW of silicon-ingot-to-solar-module manufacturing capacity by 2024, according to The Energy and Resources Institute.
