Policy

The prime minister again emphasized the need for India to develop a domestic solar manufacturing industry and also urged officials to get on with plans to make Ladakh carbon-neutral.

The Italian government has raised the tax breaks it offers for building renovations and energy-requalification projects – potentially including storage-backed rooftop PV systems – to 110%. The new measure is part of the Relaunch Decree, which is a package of guidelines aimed at reviving the Italian economy in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

India hosts numerous 1 GW-plus solar parks, two of which are the largest commissioned in the world. The huge sites have been instrumental in driving economies of scale and continue to attract global capital and some of the most recognized renewables developers.

Industry body FICCI has recommended an extension of the FAME II Scheme by at least one year to 2023 as it feels change in the consumer behavior can impact the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the short term.

That’s a significant feat for the country which has pledged to bring down the energy intensity of the economy by 33 to 35% compared to 2005 levels by 2030.

A study by the International Energy Agency into the chilling effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on energy demand states renewables will be ‘the only energy source likely to experience demand growth for the rest of 2020’. The slower the economic recovery, the more the fossil fuel industry will suffer.

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has granted an extension till May 11 for the solar manufacturers and importers to file their responses as it probes the need for continuing with the imposition of safeguard duty on solar cells, whether or not assembled into modules.

Liquidity of solar generators remains largely unaffected as they have been receiving payments from Discoms regularly. Azure and Adani Green Energy restricted groups, in particular, have comfortable liquidity position and will be able to meet their mandatory expenditure in the next six to 12 months.

Developers have until June 30 to lodge bids to develop plots of solar capacity across the national rail network paying no more than Rs2.71/kWh for the electricity generated under a 25-year contract.

The subsidies to renewable energy went from a high of Rs 15,313 crore in FY2017 to Rs 9,930 crore in FY2019. At the same time, government subsidies for oil and gas went up from Rs 40,762 crore in FY2017 to Rs 67,679 crore in FY2019. Unprecedented resource crunch post-Covid-19, however, presents a good opportunity for the government to rein in specific fossil fuel subsidies while creating more fiscal room for promoting renewables and other welfare schemes—according to a new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).