Markets & Policy

India’s Vikram Solar and New York-based private equity firm Phalanx Impact Partners and investment advisor Das & Co. have formed a joint venture to establish 4 GW of ingot-to-module manufacturing operations in the USA with a planned investment of up to $1.5 billion.

Sachin Jain joins Cleantech Solar from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he served as the head of clean energy for India and the global co-lead for solar energy.

Clean Energy Associates (CEA) has performed a safety audit on more than 600 rooftop PV systems and has found that 97% of installations have major safety concerns. It says that 49% of sites have grounding issues, 47% have damaged modules, and 41% have cross-mated connectors.

Clean Energy Associates found a myriad of problems at solar installations around the world, noting that because most are caused by poor installation practices, many can be identified and resolved relatively easily before they lead to fires, safety risks and potentially costly liabilities.

The C&I solar developer will use the net proceeds from the IPO towards meeting its working capital requirements, investment in subsidiary companies, capital expenditure for expansion purposes, and general corporate expenses.

The solar and energy storage EPC provider is planning to collaborate with competent agencies for support towards development of robotic system for module cleaning, suiting to the company’s in-house designs.

The German police arrested a Chinese citizen at Munich Airport last week, prior to the start of the Intersolar Europe trade fair. Investigators are targeting the detained individual for allegedly evading anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties imposed on PV products in the European Union prior to September 2018, a lawyer told pv magazine.

The online solutions provider for commercial and industrial solar has raised INR 3.5 crore to fuel its product development initiatives and expand into new industrial belts across the country.

Solar-powered water pumps with a total capacity of 186 kWp have been installed in the Sarlahi and Siraha districts, benefitting 11,865 residents. The projects are a collaborative effort of Nepal’s Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), the Government of Japan, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

The minister also underlined the need for diversification of supply chains by using alternative battery technologies such as sodium-ion.