India

Power minister RK Singh recently met with renewable energy developers and industry representatives to discuss the draft Policy on energy storage systems. He informed the participants the government is looking to delicense the setting up of energy storage systems not co-located with renewable energy generation facilities.

The NASDAQ-listed Indian renewable energy developer has sold off its 117 MW/138 MWp of distributed rooftop solar portfolio to Hyderabad-based Fourth Partner Energy for INR 6.72 billion (US$89.9 million), ensuring its increased focus on higher-return, larger-scale projects.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), an Indian multinational EPC contractor, has partnered with Norway’s HydrogenPro to set up a joint venture in India for gigawatt-scale manufacturing of alkaline water electrolyzers. 

India could employ one million new workers through the deployment of 339 GW of wind and grid-connected solar systems (utility-scale solar and rooftop solar) between FY2021-22 and FY2029-30 if the nation were to meet its 500 GW non-fossil capacity target. The bulk of the new jobs would be created by small projects like roof-top solar and mini and microgrids.

Bidders have until March 4 to lodge their interest for the solar projects to be developed anywhere in India.  

The State-owned hydropower producer will set up grid-connected solar power plants in the state and sell the electricity generated at an INR 3.11/kWh tariff under a 25-year PPA with the State Discoms.

The solar plant, located in Maharashtra, uses 65,000 PV panels covering an area of 80 acres. It will supply clean energy to telecom operator Airtel’s Nxtra data centers and switching centers in the State.

Global bids are invited to develop a cumulative 500 MW of energy storage system facilities on a ‘build-own-operate’ basis anywhere in India. The proposed plants can be set up in sizes ranging from 100 MW rising to 500 MW, with the capacity to store at least six hours of electricity—for example, a 500 MW project with a minimum energy storage capacity of 3,000 MWh. Bidding closes on March 11.

The Indian solar manufacturer has expanded the overall encapsulant capacity to 3 GW with the addition of a new line at its Bengaluru facility. The latest addition is capable of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyolefin elastomer (POE) sheets. The manufacturer is looking to further expand its encapsulant capacity to 11 GW.

A new report indicates that electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and commercial four-wheelers are early segments to prioritize under priority-sector lending.