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In a long-awaited move, farming irrigation systems in Haryana will be powered by solar energy.

According to figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), there are more than 10 million people working in the renewable energy industry. In 2017 alone, the sector added more than 500,000 jobs globally, up 5.3 % from 2016, with solar PV the biggest employer.

Uncertainty in the renewable energy sector continues to drive a “relentless focus on cost” to soften the impact of protectionism, subsidy cuts and rising interest rates throughout the world, EY says in its latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) report. But the evolving outlook for project finance, as well as the gradual maturation of technologies such as blockchain, present new challenges and opportunities.

The 5 GW PV park, planned for the Dholera Special Investment Region of Gujarat, will become the world’s largest project of its kind, when complete. It is expected to attract an investment of US$3.7 billion and generate employment for more than 20,000 people, says Jai Prakash Shivahare, managing director at Dholera Industrial City Development Limited. He takes time out to speak to pv magazine about the mega solar project.

While China continues to top EY’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI), India has slipped from second position to fourth, due to increasing investor concerns about possible solar import tariffs and disputes between developers and distribution companies.

In the past financial year, India missed its rooftop solar PV targets, although it did exceed those for both grid-connected ground-mounted and off-grid systems, reports the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Bridge to India believes the government’s rooftop targets have been set at the wrong level and that around 10 GW will be installed by 2022, rather than 40 GW.

The goal of the project, RE 8760 is to show how the storage of renewable energies can make them usable all year round. The generated solar power is stored and converted into hydrogen. It can also be conserved over long periods and used to recharge fuel cell vehicles during the dark winter months.

According to a tracking report from five international agencies, the world is lagging behind its sustainable development goals for the period 2015-2030, although significant progress has been made in reducing electrification deficit in the least developed countries, and industrial energy efficiency. Off-grid solar solutions, meanwhile, are emerging as one of the key drivers of rural energy access.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has announced a tender for the development of a 150 MW grid connected floating solar PV power project in Uttar Pradesh.