2020

Eleven per cent reported an increase in income levels by up to $66 per month on average. The impacts are seen even though a majority of solar home system customers also have grid access, highlighting that, as a complement to the grid, small scale solar still has a key role to play.

A new paper published by researchers at China’s Tianjin University examines the state of the art in grid level energy storage, outlining the pros and cons of various battery technologies being deployed on grids around the world, and remaining challenges that could be overcome if research is pushed in the right direction.

The French oil and gas giant—which is already a partner in Adani’s natural gas business—will now invest US$ 510 million to buy 50% stake in 2,148 MWac operating solar power projects owned by Adani Green Energy Limited.

The company has won an order from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited to install 765 KV gas-insulated substation bays at Phagi in Jaipur district. With this installation, the state will be able to evacuate around 1 GW of additional renewable energy from three solar parks at Bhadla, Fatehpur and Bikaner to various beneficiaries.

Product development company the Cambridge Design Partnership, working with compatriot solar business Solivus, has developed a curved solar module featuring an organic thin film. The design is based on Solivus’ desire to “create a product so attractive that people would be happy to have one in their garden”.

The 150 KW rooftop solar plant in Daman will cover an area of 1858 square metre (20,000 square feet) and generate 210,000 units of electricity per annum.

The coronavirus outbreak in China could raise solar module prices in the near term as manufacturers have already begun experiencing wafer and solar glass shortages. Production rates are also being affected by an extended new year holiday introduced by the authorities as a measure to deal with the virus, and the requirement workers from infected areas quarantine themselves for two weeks.

Capacity additions for the current fiscal year are set to exceed the previous accounting period’s 8,532 MW. With Rs405 billion invested in clean energy in the last fiscal year, spending in the first nine months of 2019-20 has been estimated at Rs367 billion.

The joint venture will set up a factory in India to manufacture Al-Air batteries for electric vehicles and stationary applications and facilitate development of eco-system for Al-Air technology.

The project will be awarded to the bidder who quotes the lowest viability gap funding requirement. The upper limit for VGF to be quoted by a bidder is kept at Rs 130 million for 1 MW solar PV project with battery storage of 3 MWh.