Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:

Graphite India Limited, a Kolkata-based carbon and graphite product manufacturing company, said its board of directors approved a capital expenditure proposal for a 35 MW hybrid (solar and wind) renewable energy project. The project will supply captive power to its electrode facility in Satpur, Nashik. The project is estimated to be completed within twelve months from signing the letter of intent.

Greenshift Initiatives, a Mumbai-based solar-as-a-service company, is offering its consumers the option to monetize carbon emission savings. The company has rolled out carbon credits — a ‘carbon finance’ option to its customers to support decarbonization and foster a lower-carbon future. It allows residential and commercial buildings to monetize their carbon credits earned from rooftop solar installations and transformation to electric mobility. The company provides zero-investment on rooftop solar installation and fast electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Gensol, a solar engineering, procurement, and construction company, announced that it had received an order from a Gurugram-based client to develop 4 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects at its various facilities in Maharashtra. Gensol has to complete the project before February 11, 2022. The project’s value is expected to be ₹121 million (~$1.61 million), exclusive of taxes.

LONGi, a China-based module manufacturer, announced a new record efficiency of 26.30% for its front-back contact solar cell. It also set a record of 25.82% efficiency for its hetero-junction solar cell. The new record was validated by the German Institute for Solar Energy Research. The fill factor (FF) of the certified cells breached the threshold of 86% and reached 86.59%, achieving the highest level for silicon cells. The company’s research and development team developed a new process that could reduce the contact resistance of the interface to improve the FF and increase a cell’s current density.

Solarpack Corporacion Tecnologica, through its Colombian subsidiary, secured long-term clean energy contracts to develop two solar projects with a total installed capacity of 252 MW in Colombia. The company was awarded contracts with prices above the average auction price of Colombia Peso 155 (~$0.041)/kWh. The projects are expected to generate 450 GWh of green energy annually, with energy supplies scheduled to begin in 2023. The company signed power purchase agreements for 15 years for these projects.

Powertis, a Spain-based solar company, bagged renewable energy projects with a 99 MW capacity in Colombia as part of the renewable energy auction organized by the Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy. The 99 MW awarded represents 12.5% of the total auction. Powertis was among the eleven photovoltaic companies that were awarded renewable energy projects in the country. The project, located in the Antioquia region, is expected to have an installed capacity of 135 MWp and be connected to the Urabá 110 kV substation.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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