Considering the remarkable advances made by the solar sector since the Rio ‘Earth Summit’ of 1992, PV was notable by its absence at the Convention of Parties climate change summit held by the UN in Poland.
From April to November, Indian imports of solar cells and modules from Singapore – worth Rs489 crore, Vietnam (Rs263 crore) and Thailand (Rs155 crore) recorded whopping annual growth rates of 242%, 440% and 2,711%, respectively.
The last 10 years have seen India emerge as a solar superpower, setting an example from which many emerging countries in Africa and Southeast Asia are eager to learn.
Reports emphasize the likelihood of India remaining a world leader for solar but warn of missed targets for PV overall and rooftop in particular.
“While there are ample solar PV module manufacturers in India to meet the government demands, the proposal would provide impetus to existing and new players to venture into cell production”—according to Sunil Rathi, director, Waaree Energies.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a plan for projects to be enabled by public bodies in the hope that avoiding competitive procurement will enable it to circumvent WTO rules related to import parity.
Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has allowed Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) to procure 2.7 MW solar power generated by salt pan workers of Self-Employed Women Association (SEWA) during off-season.
The state-owned power generator will follow the bidding route for development of solar projects in African countries that are members of the International Solar Alliance.
“We urge the government to take swift action in launching the National Energy Storage Mission in order to support the development of an R&D and manufacturing ecosystem for energy storage and electric vehicles,” said Rahul Walawalkar, president of the India Energy Storage Alliance.
The president of India has sanctioned setting up of 14 MW grid-connected solar PV projects with aggregate battery storage capacity of 42 MWh for Jammu & Kashmir under Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP)-2015 . The projects would be set up during 2019-20 and 2020-21, and include 7 MW solar projects with battery storage of 21 MWh each in Leh and Kargil at different locations. These would be implemented in developer mode, at a fixed tariff of Rs 2 per unit, with viability gap funding support.
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