A solar cell so thin, it can rest on a soap bubble
Scientists at Saudia Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology demonstrated an organic PV cell that can simply be printed onto a piece of paper. The cell set a new efficiency record for a fully inkjet-printed device, and its designers envisage applications in integrated medical sensors.
C-MET seeks co-funding partner for lithium and sodium-ion battery cell manufacturing
The selected party will provide funding support of Rs 4 crore by way of design and development of machinery for lithium- and sodium-ion battery cell manufacturing. September 30 is the deadline to submit the interest.
Mahindra & Mahindra forms a new solar subsidiary
Martial Solren Private Limited has been incorporated in Mumbai as a wholly-owned subsidiary of solar EPC business Mahindra Susten.
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.
Indian Railways solarises 960 Stations, 198 MW rooftop PV for another 550 under execution
The nation’s largest electricity consumer is working towards installing 500 MW of rooftop solar generation capacity by 2021-22. Besides, it aims to establish an aggregate 20 GW ground-mount solar capacity by 2030, which shall come up over 51,000 hectares of its trackside vacant land.
Madurai Kamaraj University to get 1 MW ground-mounted solar plant
The National Institute of Wind Energy has invited bids to install and commission a 1 MW (AC) grid-connected solar power plant at Madurai Kamaraj University in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu. Bidding closes on September 17.
BHEL seeks hybrid solar inverters for Nigerian project
September 10 is the last date to submit bids for supply, installation, and commissioning of hybrid solar inverter-cum-charge controllers of ratings 5 kVA (193 quantities), 10 kVA (32), and 15 kVA (5). All the inverters are to be delivered by November 12.
Scaling up solar manufacturing in India
A new study by CEEW Centre for Energy Finance assesses the competitive advantage that China has over India and presents a suite of short-term and long-term interventions required for a globally competitive solar manufacturing sector in India.
IEEFA: Why India can’t match the Gulf region’s record-low solar tariffs
India’s solar tariffs—whilst some of the lowest in the world—are almost double the Gulf region’s US¢1.35-1.80/kWh.
The long read: A highly promising cobalt-free battery for electric vehicles
We increasingly need safe, affordable, and powerful batteries as we move to greener technologies. Battery-powered electric cars, for example, have much higher safety standards than our phones, and for such vehicles to travel long distances, lighter batteries with higher energy density and rapid-charging capabilities would make a world of difference. Majid Rasool, a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University, discusses a potential solution.
