Markets & Policy

A new report suggests that the State shut down 3.1 GW of old coal plants and replace the lost generation with renewables. It also advocates switching from expensive power (tariffs > INR 4/kWh) to renewable energy (which now costs INR 3/kWh or less) and halting the construction of new coal plants.

The Indian multinational has acquired a 51% stake in Brazilian company Fasttel Engenharia Ltd that specializes in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of power transmission, substation and distribution services.

The monocrystalline module provider added a new product to its Hi-MO 4 series. The new panel has a power output of 410/420 W and a conversion efficiency between 20.5% and 21.0%. The width of the module is standardized, while three different length options can be chosen to maximize capacity in a rooftop project.

Imported solar inverters and lanterns will get costlier, as the union budget for the next fiscal year has proposed customs duty increases from 5%, for both items, to 20% and 15%, respectively. The budget, which also incentivizes Indian manufacturing of solar project components whilst giving a helping hand to raw materials, makes no mention of solar cells or panels.

The Japanese brand will continue to sell third-party-made modules under its brand in its home market, as it already does overseas, but in-house PV wafer, cell and module production will halt by the end of fiscal year 2022.

pv magazine has taken part in a webinar examining the thorny issue of financing clean energy generation in developing markets.

A new report by government thinktank NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) identifies financing as one of the hurdles for India’s electric mobility transition. It proposes solutions to lower the cost and increase finance for electric vehicles in the nation.

The PV projects—tendered under the Central Public Sector Undertaking scheme—will be entitled to government support through viability gap funding, with the level of VGF awarded determined by reverse-bidding auctions for the project capacity.

Sector coupling may be somewhat of a buzzword, but it also points to opportunities for PV beyond the power markets, which may quickly reach limitations during peak hours of irradiation. Combined energy, food and clean water production presents one such opportunity, with benefits for developers, utilities and communities.

Smart Power India, a subsidiary of US-based impact investor The Rockefeller Foundation, was established in India in 2015 with the aim of extending power to those without sufficient access to reliable and quality electricity. Jaideep Mukherji, CEO, Smart Power India, speaks to pv magazine about their work in India and way forward.