Strategic Alliances

The Italian utility, fresh from securing its first 300 MW of PV generation capacity in the recent, record-setting tender held by SECI, has teamed up with the state-owned Norwegian Investment Fund to commit to further clean energy facilities in India.

The fossil fuel company will become a partner in the fund, which invests in clean energy projects.

The state cabinet has approved a 74:26 joint venture proposal by publicly-owned hydropower company THDC India and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency for the ambitious project.

The new Indo-Danish cooperation will prepare the Indian energy system for the integration of 450 GW renewable energy by 2030. It will focus on knowledge exchange in areas such as energy planning and scenario modelling, integration of high share of renewable energy, power system flexibility and electricity markets.

The Gurgaon-based data-driven fleet service provider—which launched India’s first all-electric heavy-duty truck last year—will use Faradion’s sodium-ion batteries in its commercial vehicles.

A study by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems has evaluated the feasibility of horticulture PV at the site of Paras in Akola district of Maharashtra, where the state utility Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd (Mahagenco) is considering to install a ground-mounted solar system on more than 100 hectare (ha) of arable land.

German development agency GIZ has hired DNV GL to study control reserve requirements of India’s southern states. The study—part of the Indo-German Energy Programme—will help ensure efficient and cost-effective integration of large-scale renewable energy supplies in the region.

As per the MoU, the state-owned power producer along with the oil and gas producer shall explore setting up of renewable energy projects in India and overseas, and sustainability, storage, e-mobility and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) compliant projects.

The projects shall be co-funded by India’s Department of Science & Technology and the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency. The aim is to make energy supply cleaner, more efficient and affordable by smartly integrating large amounts of renewable energy in local energy systems. Proposals can be submitted till September 1.

Australia based Neometals and India’s Manikaran Power—which announced their collaboration on India’s first lithium refinery last year—have also doubled the proposed refinery capacity to 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium hydroxide.