Rooftop solar market in 2020
It has been a rocky year for installers with issues like availability of modules from Chinese suppliers, restricted construction due to local lockdowns, and uncertainty over import duties. Going forward, the market could see a dramatic rebound if net-metering is allowed with a current cap of 1 MW and re-introduced in the states that have shifted to gross-metering.
Indian researchers create bio-inspired algorithm for MPPT optimization
Indian researchers have created a hybrid salp swarm algorithm to optimize MPPT tracking in PV systems under partial shading conditions. It is based on the swarming behavior of salps in the ocean.
Best Power Equipments bets on solar
The electronics manufacturer says it will switch focus to solar panels and lithium battery storage as it launches an inverter series for rooftop PV.
India added 883 MW of rooftop solar in nine months despite Covid-19
With 380 MW of generation capacity, Gujarat accounted for 43% of new rooftop solar installations during the January-to-September period.
Fall in off-grid solar sales deprives 5m people of access to clean power
The latest edition of the Global Off-grid Solar Market Report by the World Bank and GOGLA has called for regulatory and financial support to help off-grid distributors create jobs lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Total and Google Cloud develop tool to predict rooftop PV potential
The Solar Mapper uses artificial intelligence algorithms that compile data extracted from satellite images. It can estimate site solar potential and indicate the most suitable technology.
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.
Solar leaders call for overhaul to navigate Covid-19
Faced with raw material and labor shortages, solar manufacturers have stressed the need to find alternative supply chains and to push automation and internet of things applications on the factory floor to keep production running.
Commercial solar rooftops dominate as India nears 6 GW
Bridge to India figures show dominance of Chinese inverters, which supplied almost 80% of installs from July last year to the end of June.
India’s renewable energy capacity needs to grow at 16% CAGR to reach 450 GW by 2030
As of June 30, the country installed 90.5 GW of renewable energy capacity from solar (utility-scale and rooftop), wind and biomass resources.
