United States

IIT Madras Research Park and US-based First Solar will cooperate on a range of research and development (R&D) activities including the localization of thin film and other next-generation PV technology supply chains in India, high-volume manufacturing, PV module testing, and high-value recycling.

The US-based company has been granted patents in India and China for its smart battery management system that monitors the thermal storage capacity of the phase-change material and automatically adjusts the power output of the battery packs and cells.

US-based ACE Green is setting up lithium battery recycling plants in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, where it will use a zero-waste hydrometallurgical recycling process to extract valuable materials from dead batteries.  

US-based Enfinity Global has commissioned 135 MW of solar projects in Maharashtra. It has also acquired 70 MW of operational assets in Telangana and Karnataka.

India is the top market for solar investment, according to the latest edition of Ernst & Young’s renewables attractiveness index. Spain, Germany and the United States are the top three markets for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Currently, Serentica Renewables is developing 1.5 GW of solar and wind power projects for energy-intensive industries in India. Over the medium-term, it aims to install 5 GW of clean energy capacity, coupled with different storage technologies. The investment from KKR will support its industrial decarbonization projects.

Reliance, a strategic investor in US-based Ambri, is purchasing Ambri’s liquid-metal battery system for demo installation as part of its broader energy storage manufacturing plans and deployments in India.

The India arm of USA-headquartered Triton Electric Vehicle has issued an INR 8,060 crore (around $971 million) Letter of Intent to state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) for the purchase of EV battery packs. It will also transfer its technology to BEL for production of hydrogen fuel cells in India.

Net metering reforms in the US are a missed opportunity to harness residential battery storage, argue researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Compensation rules for residential rooftop solar are evolving toward a model that encourages customers to use battery storage to maximize solar self-consumption. However, is this a good thing? Galen Barbose, Sydney P. Forrester, and Chandler Miller investigate.

The new energy arm of Reliance Industries has signed the agreement to acquire a 20% stake in California-based perovskite solar startup Caelux for $12 million. The investment will accelerate Caelux’ product development and commercialization.