The prospects for solar after the Assembly elections
Narendra Modi’s BJP party is seeking re-election with the aim of ensuring the electrification of all railways by 2022 and turning renewable energy into a popular movement with steps including an emphasis on solar farming. Even if the elections spring a surprise, however, the renewable momentum is unlikely to slow as no government can afford to roll back the clean power tide.
India and Australia helped make up for Chinese solar retreat last year
The world had more than half a terawatt of PV generation capacity at the end of last year as emerging solar markets picked up the slack caused by Beijing’s subsidy about-turn to the tune of a 20% rise in installations outside China.
Off-grid villages in Uttar Pradesh go 100% solar
Lack of road access meant PV panels had to be brought in by boat to be installed on the roof of every home under the government’s Saubhagya rural electrification scheme.
Indian solar market leaders for 2018
ACME Solar installed the largest utility-scale solar capacity in 2018. It also had the largest project pipeline at the end of 2018, closely followed by SB Energy and Azure Power. While modules from China’s ZnShine were used the most, the imposition of the safeguard duty helped domestic manufacturers to capture a larger share of the market compared to 2017, according to clean energy consulting firm Mercom Communications.
India and Madagascar’s Barefoot solar connection
An Indian non-profit and a global conservation charity have joined forces to bring solar lighting and heating to off-grid rural areas in Africa – and they are doing it with an army of middle-aged women: the ‘Solar Mamas’.
PTC Financial joins USICEF initiative to fund distributed solar projects
Infrastructure finance provider PTC India Financial Services (PFS) has partnered with U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) initiative to fund the most promising, investment-ready distributed solar projects in India.
India takes to solar-powered desalination
A 10,000-liters-per-day plant in Tamil Nadu offers hope for powering clean water without fossil fuels. However, researchers warn the technology is difficult to scale up because PV panels take up so much space.
Azure surpasses 100 MW of operating solar rooftop capacity
Independent solar power producer Azure Power’s operational rooftop capacity has a levelized weighted average tariff of Rs 5.82 (US 8.4 cents) per kWh—139% higher than the lowest solar power bid in India.
EXIM Bank to finance 35 MW solar projects in Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo will use the amount for installation of three solar PV power projects with a total capacity of 35 MW in the three provinces of Karawa, Mbandaka and Lusambo.
Rooftop solar for Delhi schools to save 4 GW electricity daily
State-run utility Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited will install solar rooftop plants at 30 school buildings, with capacity of one megawatt in all.
