India still nowhere near energy sufficiency
The government is trying to harness renewables to increase domestic output but will need a more liberal energy market and to consider the structure of procurement auctions, cloying red tape and the financial travails of state utilities if it is to achieve its goals, says Rakshika Kaul of Amp Energy India.
Off-grid solar and storage solutions for Himalayas
The Solar Energy Corporation of India has issued a call for expressions of interest to supply clean energy to isolated off-grid communities and warned components will probably have to be transported manually.
UK’s Power Roll trials low-cost, flexible solar-and-storage system in Himalayan villages
The system will use an innovative solar film developed by Power Roll that can be manufactured for just $0.03/Watt and deployed on a wide range of non-load bearing buildings, including agricultural and warehouse roofs.
CSIR-CMERI Durgapur, NISE sign pact on solar research and capacity building
The CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, which has expertise in the design and development of solar artifacts for multifaceted uses, and the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram, will conduct joint field studies for different solar technologies and work towards skill and capacity building.
CSIR-CMERI installs world’s largest solar tree
The Internet of Things (IOT)-enabled solar tree—using 35 solar PV panels with a 330 Wp capacity each—is especially useful for the agricultural community in providing electricity for high-capacity water pumps, e-tractors and e-power tillers. It can also allow precision agriculture through IoT-enabled features such as real-time humidity, wind speed, rainfall prediction, and soil health monitoring.
Odisha invites EoI for Konark solarization
Manufacturers and integrators of solar-based drinking water kiosks, solar trees, solar street lighting systems, and e-rickshaw charging infrastructure can submit their interest by August 29.
SunSource Energy bags Lakshadweep’s largest solar-plus-storage project
The 1.95 MW solar plant with 2.15 MWh battery storage will power four islands of the union territory—Agatti, Kavaratti, BangaRam and Thinnakara.
Another bidding extension for off-grid solar pumping systems in Madhya Pradesh
Bidders now have until June 26 to bid for installation and commissioning of standalone off-grid solar water pumping systems in the State of Madhya Pradesh.
Mobile solar pumping system offers pay-as-you-go solution for farmers
Researchers have simulated a cart-mounted solar pump which they say would mean farmers in off-grid areas would be able to irrigate fields by paying only for the solar electricity used.
Covid delayed 63% of India’s utility-scale solar in first quarter
Covid-19-prompted disruption severely impacted solar installation during January-March, 2020 as the country added only 689 MW of utility-scale PV against 1,864 MW scheduled to be commissioned.
