Distributed solar

A recent GOGLA report indicates an increasing trend towards hybrid power solutions that integrate DC solar with AC grid power, and appliances that integrate both AC and DC power. In particular, the sales of hybrid solar inverter UPS in India is growing at 25% annually, much faster than conventional inverters’ 10% annual market growth. 

“Efficient and economically viable energy storage, and optimal hybridization, are crucial for ensuring the expansion of renewable power generation both at the grid and micro-grid scale,” says Deepak Thakur, chief executive officer for the hybrid and energy storage business of Sterling and Wilson. He has spoken to pv magazine about the accelerated proliferation of renewables-plus-storage across markets.

Scientists in Russia have analyzed the most important technological advances achieved for solar water pumps over the past decades and have indicated the roadmap that future research should follow to expand their use and application.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India has extended the bidding for its off-grid solar and storage project in Himalayas. The revised deadline is now December 21.

The solar installation in India is making a slower-than-expected recovery as Covid-related disruption continues to hurt construction progress. Safeguard duty extension and module price increase have added to the pain.

The latest win follows a 1.95 MW/2.15 MWh solar-plus-battery storage project bagged by the developer for the union territory of Lakshadweep in July this year.

The network consists of a 96 V, 5.2 kW solar power system and a 96 V, 7.5 kVA PV inverter plus 96 V, 150 Ah of lead-acid battery storage. The microgrid will provide backup power during emergencies.

Through its newly formed subsidiary Convergence Energy Services Limited (Convergence), the Energy Efficiency Services Limited will implement ground-mounted solar power plants—in sizes of 500 kW to 2 MW—on vacant/unused land provided by the Gram Panchayats or electricity board in the state. 

A study by Auroville Consulting assesses the techno-commercial impact of generating solar power close to the point of consumption. The study was undertaken on ten feeders of a substation in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu. The results indicated that 100% solar energy penetration, in energy terms, is not only possible but a winning proposition, especially for the distribution companies.

The new billion-dollar investment is aimed at scaling distributed renewable energy across developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.