Towards a distributed solar energy future
A study by Auroville Consulting assesses the techno-commercial impact of generating solar power close to the point of consumption. The study was undertaken on ten feeders of a substation in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu. The results indicated that 100% solar energy penetration, in energy terms, is not only possible but a winning proposition, especially for the distribution companies.
Reliable electricity access and customer satisfaction key to DISCOM performance, says study
A joint study by Smart Power India, an arm of US-based impact investor Rockefeller Foundation, and government thinktank NITI Aayog, evaluates the status of electricity access in India across different states and benchmarks distribution utilities’ capacity to provide electricity access. It also offers recommendations to help DISCOMs realize their full potential.
India added 883 MW of rooftop solar in nine months despite Covid-19
With 380 MW of generation capacity, Gujarat accounted for 43% of new rooftop solar installations during the January-to-September period.
Corporate funding for battery storage up 75%
Analysts at Mercom Capital Group have tallied up corporate funding, venture capital and debt and public market investment for battery storage, smart grids and energy efficiency companies. From a financial perspective, the industry appears resilient to the Covid-19 crisis and ready to grow further.
Indexed renewable energy tariffs could save discoms up to INR 21,880 crore over five years
A joint report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (Ieefa) and the CEEW-Centre for Energy Finance (CEF) has recommended indexed tariff structure over flat rate for future renewable capacity, with front-ending tariffs as low as INR 2/kWh, to ease near-term financial pressure on discoms.
IndianOil turns to gas, not green hydrogen, to reduce Delhi bus emissions
The public sector energy company has opened a compact reformer plant at Delhi Transport Corporation’s Rajghat bus depot. The facility will produce hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas as a bus fuel. A trial period will see 50 gas-powered buses run on the blended fuel with fuel economy and emissions monitored.
Ministry drafts policy for rural solar appliance roll-out
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is eager to ramp up deployment of solar-powered dryers, cold storage and charkhas across the nation’s 600,000 villages.
Fall in off-grid solar sales deprives 5m people of access to clean power
The latest edition of the Global Off-grid Solar Market Report by the World Bank and GOGLA has called for regulatory and financial support to help off-grid distributors create jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Startups will get access to high-end R&D infrastructure at academic institutions soon
To catalyze R&D and make India self-reliant, the government is supporting restructuring of science and technology infrastructure at universities to cater to industries’ high-end requirements.
Hydrogen needs strong public-private support with policies in place
India is in mission mode on researching different aspects of the hydrogen economy, including hydrogen production, storage and utilization for stationary, power generation and transport applications. The need is to demonstrate the scaled versions at a faster rate.
