Policy

The Office of the President has turned its focus to solar panels, announcing the removal of the bifacial solar panel Section 301 tariff exclusion and addressing issues of stockpiling during trade cases, alongside promoting the nation’s manufacturing base.

Hydrogen, often lauded as a beacon of hope in the quest for a low-carbon future, stands at a pivotal crossroads. As the world grapples with the dual challenges of escalating energy demands and climate change, hydrogen presents a unique opportunity to harmonize industrial development with environmental stewardship. However, its path is fraught with complexities and obstacles that require careful navigation.

The ALMM reinstatement opens up a vast market for domestic solar panel manufacturers by creating a non-tariff barrier for Chinese products. However, for projects and schemes such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana which mandate domestic content requirement (DCR), the shortage of domestically manufactured cells could lead to an increase in the cost of DCR modules.

India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has vowed continued focus on renewables, energy storage and electric mobility with a view to achieving energy independence for the nation by 2047.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India, has extended the deadline for submission of R&D proposals under National Green Hydrogen Mission, to April 27, 2024.

Energy storage is the new solar for an increasing number of Chinese PV manufacturers. However, China still requires enabling policies for storage to provide the end-market volumes needed to bolster the fortunes of manufacturers old and new.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops in green hydrogen competitiveness with the world’s lowest levelized cost of hydrogen (LCoH) of $2.7/kg in 2023 and a projected $1.7/kg in 2030. It is followed by Saudi Arabia and India, which could produce green hydrogen at $2.9-$3.2/kg in 2023 and $1.8/kg in 2030.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released a new report on the sidelines of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue this week describing the actions needed so the world complies with targets set at the recent COP29 conference in the United Arab Emirates. IRENA President Francesco La Camera says renewables are the only energy sources with the speed and scale to achieve the ambitious targets set in Dubai.

France’s TotalEnergies says it has signed 1.5 GW of on-site solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) with more than 600 industrial and commercial customers in more than 30 countries.

The residential rooftop solar scheme provides a central financial assistance (CFA) of 60% of the system cost for 2 kW systems and 40% of the additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity. The CFA will be capped at 3 kW. At current benchmark prices, this will mean INR 30,000 subsidy for 1 kW system, INR 60,000 for 2 kW systems, and INR 78,000 for 3 kW systems or higher.