Markets & Policy

Bids are invited to supply an aggregate 6,568,000 quantity of five-busbar multicrystalline and mono-crystalline PERC silicon solar cells in peak output ratings of 4.62Wp, 4.67Wp, 4.72Wp, 5.27Wp, 5.44Wp and 5.62Wp. The delivery period is three months.

An analysis by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) says improvements in PV panel designs and costs, lower financing costs, and state-specific sectors such as the location’s solar potential and certain waivers have driven the decline in Indian solar tariffs.

The British carmaker has joined hands with the electronic waste recycler to get the lithium-ion batteries of its ZS electric vehicles recycled at the end of their life.

The solar glass manufacturer plans to utilize the funds to more than double its solar glass production capacity from 450 tonnes per day (TPD) to 950 TPD.

The Indian renewables platform’s promoters have committed additional equity funding of $390 million, taking the total to $721 million. National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), accounting for $284 million of the new injection, becomes the majority shareholder now. U.K. government-owned development finance institution CDC Group and UK-India Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF) have committed $70 million and $36 million, respectively.

With this, green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable energy) would become cost-competitive with hydrogen from fossil fuels in certain industrial applications such as ammonia production for fertilizers.

A new report looks at the rising dependence of India’s DISCOMs on electricity subsidies, despite concerted bailout efforts by the central government. It assesses various states’ performance in reining in DISCOMs’ financial losses and enhancing their overall efficiency over the last five years. Building on these findings, the study suggests reforms in the distribution and design of subsidies to increase power companies’ revenues as consumption surges.

The hill state in northern India has added the electric bus footprint with the service flagged off in the capital city Dehradun. The state government plans to start 30 such eco-friendly electric buses in this financial year. The buses, supplied by Olectra Greentech, will run in Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Haridwar.

The rebranding to Saft Urja—from Amco Saft—reflects the battery manufacturer’s strategic approach to better leverage the Indian market. The company has also announced plans to increase its production capacity at Bangalore factory by 20%, enhance the workforce at its design office and launch new industrial battery products for India region.

The rating considers the central government’s direct ownership and very strong level of control, the company’s important policy role as a financier to encourage renewable energy investments in India, and its status as a nodal agency to carry out the government’s initiatives for the sector.