Battery major Amara Raja plans 50 MW solar plant
The Indian automotive battery major has announced the setting up of a 50 MW solar power plant in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. The plant—to be built at INR 220-crore investment—will help reduce the manufacturer’s carbon footprint while lowering its electricity bill. The firm, which has already set up a pilot plant facility for Lithium-ion cell development, is also mulling investments into energy storage for the renewables sector.
The long read: What Asia needs to turn away from coal
Given the rapid decrease of the solar electricity cost, pv magazine explores the drivers and obstacles behind switching off coal and embracing photovoltaics and other renewable energy technology in Asia. The good news: things are moving in the right direction.
Rooftop solar: How to mitigate the impact of a new net metering limit
A net feed-in tariff could offer a solution for consumers, developers, and distribution companies.
World Bank signs up for $56m slice of renewables developer’s first green bond
The development lender’s private-sector arm helped Indian commercial clean power company Continuum Green Energy raise $561 million to refinance its debts through the bond, on the Singapore exchange.
Gujarat 700 MW award cancellation will impact solar investment
The state electricity regulator has passed the order in Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd’s favor, allowing it to retender the 700 MW capacity to seek lower tariffs than the INR 2.78-2.81/kWh levels awarded to developers. Developers’ body says the move will impact investors’ sentiment as arranging finance starts soon after developers win a capacity.
IIT Bombay, BHEL in race to develop high-efficiency solar cells
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is funding the research to develop high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells, including those with passivated emitter and rear contact structure, and perovskites.
Virescent assigned provisional ‘AAA’ rating for its renewable energy InvIT
The renewable energy infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) proposed to be launched by KKR-backed Virescent Infrastructure aims to achieve approximately 1.5 GW of assets in the next three years. Its initial portfolio will comprise nine solar energy projects with an aggregate capacity of about 400 MWp.
India eyes 10 GW of ingot-to-module solar factory capacity within two years
Under a production-linked incentive scheme, the government will reward manufacturers for building vertically integrated PV production lines. The scheme aims to attract 10 GW of production capacity by April 2023.
KPI Global signs power supply agreements for 13.15 MW solar projects
The Gujarat-based solar developer has signed power supply agreements with nine different industrial customers for PV projects aggregating to 13.15 MW.
India has the opportunity to build a new energy future
India is set to see the largest increase in energy demand of any country over next 20 years, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report says, highlighting potential for policies and investment to accelerate clean energy transition.
