Markets & Policy

The second wave of Covid-19 reminds us to build a resilient society. Climate Change, not unlike Covid-19, will deliver devastating effects to our planet and disrupt our way of life. So, in this climate decade, India must channel investments into sustainable activities. The first step is to construct a robust “green taxonomy” – a green list of sustainable activities. 

Italian start-up Genius Watter has developed a solar desalination solution that is claimed to be particularly suitable for remote areas with no connection to grid electricity. The system is able to produce up to 1,000 cubic meters of potable water per day at an opex of €0.20 per cubic meter.

The company believes introducing its ATUM solar roof (PV panels integrated on cement boards) would be a gamechanger for South Africa. The product, which can directly be used as a roof, will enable distributed microgrids in the region to address the energy requirements of the unelectrified.

The integrated power producer will sell solar power from the Gujarat plant to its licensed distribution business unit at an INR 2.22/kWh tariff.

Gujarat tops the list of Indian states with respect to installed solar rooftop capacity, as it has already achieved around 40 percent of its allotted target. The persisting pandemic has slowed down the pace of capacity addition but policy incentives like SURYA- Gujarat are paving way towards Gujarat’s clean energy transition.

Coronavirus disruption has been cited as the chief culprit as imports from China, Thailand and Vietnam slumped from April to January, but safeguarding duty also appears to have had an impact, with unaffected imports from nations such as Myanmar, Chad and Russia on the rise and Malaysian trade keeping steady.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) seeks module supply partners for an aggregate 750 MW of panels as it intends to participate in the tender for 500 MW Rewa solar park in Madhya Pradesh. Bidding closes on April 27.

New Delhi-headquartered Uttam Group of Companies has purchased California-based Catalina Composites as it sees a surge in demand for clean energy solutions, including hydrogen. The company will invest at least $20 million in staff, equipment, and research and development of high-pressure cylinder production for hydrogen and compressed natural gas.

The Chinese solar manufacturer has launched the 670W Vertex solar module in India that offers an efficiency of up to 21.6%. It has also fielded two models of panel tracking solutions from its TrinaTracker business. 

The UK-based flexible solar film developer is expanding into the Indian market with Thermax as its market development and manufacturing partner.