Technology

Although the International Energy Agency’s latest renewables report forecasts impressive solar growth there is still a nagging feeling it has produced conservative estimates and the emphasis on sharing costs with grid operators is predictable.

November 18 is the last date for interested bidders who are allowed to use cells and modules of any origin in the plant, which can be located anywhere in India. The projects are to be set up on develop-build-demonstrate-transfer basis.

The ISTS connected projects—to be developed on ‘build-own-operate’ basis—can be set up anywhere in India for round-the-clock power supply to New Delhi Municipal Council and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. December 3 is the last date for bidding.

The disparity between central and state government renewables policies must be resolved and renegotiating signed PPAs is an absolute no-no, according to the solar business’ bosses.

By going for captive solar plants, MSMEs can not only contribute in addressing the challenge of global warming but also generate additional cash flows to their business. Ample funding is available for them to make the switch.

Scientists at the United States Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered a root cause of dendrite formation, which can cause battery failure and even fires in lithium-ion technology. With this new knowledge, the group is now working on electrolyte recipes that eliminate dendrite growth entirely.

The aim is development of sustainable, integrated solutions for both short- and long-term storage. November 12 is the last date for submitting expressions of interest. Projects are expected to start before December 15, 2020.

Solar generation capacity aggregating to 7 GW—as against 6 GW earlier—will now be awarded against setting up of 2 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. Tariff ceiling has also been increased to Rs2.93/kWh, from Rs2.75, for a period of 25 years. Bids can be submitted till October 31.

“The addition of microgrids creates opportunities for developers to penetrate areas which were not previously explored while allowing the government to meet its renewable energy targets,” says Dr Jayashri Ravishankar—senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney—in an interview with pv magazine.

This year will see strong growth for the global PV market, to 114 GW, and that pattern will continue in the years ahead, according to analyst Wood Mackenzie. A report has highlighted soaring inverter replacement costs for PV project owners as a side-effect of the solar success story.