Daily News Wrap-Up: Indian Airports Taking Steps to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Lithium exploration is on in two districts in Karnataka

thumbnail

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

Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation V K Singh informed the Rajya Sabha informed that airports around the country have taken various measures to reduce their carbon footprint. These measures include replacing non-renewable energy with renewable energy sources like hydro, solar panels, and wind, rationalizing operating times/procedures, and using alternative fuels in ground handling vehicles. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised the operators of all brownfield airports with scheduled operations and developers of the upcoming greenfield airports to work towards achieving carbon neutrality to get accredited by the Airports Council International. Airports Authority of India has also taken the initiative to publish energy intensity data to reduce energy intensity for existing and upcoming airport projects.

Union Minister of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, shared information on the Geological Survey of India’s (GSI’s) lithium exploration in the country. GSI has carried out 20 projects on lithium and associated elements in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, in the last five years. During the present Field Season Program 2022-23, GSI has taken up 18 projects on lithium in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Rajasthan. GSI has not yet augmented the resource of lithium. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) is exploring lithium in parts of Mandya and Yadgir districts, Karnataka.

PGE Group announced that it is working on the largest energy storage facility in Europe, and the project obtained the first license promise in Poland for electricity storage. The group’s strategic goal in energy storage is to have 800 MW of new energy storage in Poland by 2030. The project of a large-scale commercial hybrid energy storage at Żarnowiec Pumped-storage Power Plant with a capacity of no less than 200 MW and power output of more than 820 MWh is one of the largest projects of this kind in Europe. The energy stored would ensure safe system integration of new renewable energy sources, contribute to the stabilization of the power system, and improve the country’s energy security. This project will integrate the existing 716 MW pumped-storage plant with BESS, resulting in an innovative hybrid installation with a power of at least 921 MW and a capacity of over 4.6 GWh.

First Solar announced that Akuo, a Paris-headquartered independent global renewable energy producer and developer, placed an order for 500 MW of thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. First Solar will supply 200 MWDC for a utility-scale project developed by Akuo in the United States, with delivery scheduled for the first half of 2024. The remaining modules are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, potentially powering projects in Europe or other regions where Akuo is present. The deal, which leverages First Solar’s agile contracting approach, is expected to allow Akuo to benefit from the evolution of First Solar’s advanced Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) thin film module technology platform for the agreement.

Germany would require significant investments of €500 billion (~$506.57 billion) from the federal, state, and local governments, according to the calculations by KfW Research based on a study by Prognos, to achieve the climate targets by 2045. This corresponds to around €20 billion (~$20.26 billion) per year. The need for investment will arise primarily in the energy and transport sectors and roughly correspond to the interest expenditure on government debt. At €297 billion (~$300.91 billion), the most significant public climate protection investment requirements are in the energy sector, of which the vast majority at €249 billion (~$252.28 billion) is in renewable energy systems.

RELATED POSTS

thumbnail
Top 5 States for Open Access Solar Installations in CY 2022

India added an impressive 2.5 GW open access solar capacity in 2022, registering a growth of 92% year-over-year (YoY), according to the 2022 Q4 & Annual Mercom India Solar Open Access Market Report. Karnataka emerged as the to...

March 23, 2023

Markets & Policy

Government Clarifies ALMM Enlistment Guidelines for Co-branded Solar Modules

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has modified the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements betwe...

March 24, 2023

C&I

In Bengaluru, a 100 kW Solar System Can Save C&I Entities ₹1 Million Annually

Mercom India successfully concluded the C&I Clean Energy Meet 2023 in Bengaluru, where stakeholders in the solar sector and commercial and industrial entities converged to enthusiastically discuss the benefits of renewable ene...

March 24, 2023

Other

Gensol Acquires Solar Tracker Maker Scorpius for ₹1.35 Billion

Gensol Engineering, a part of solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company Gensol Group, has acquired India-based solar tracker manufacturer Scorpius Trackers for ₹1.35 billion ($16.4 million). Gensol said the ac...

March 23, 2023

Magazine

DON'T MISS AN ISSUE!

Mercom Cleantech Magazine

Get Your Copy Today!

magazines

Latest News

thumbnail
Government Clarifies ALMM Enlistment Guidelines for Co-branded Solar Modules

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has modified the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Intra-State Sections of Evacuation Infrastructure for Renewables Delayed

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy that the intra-state stretches of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) have been delayed due to various reasons, including...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
EnBW Takes €2.4 Billion Final Investment Decision on Offshore Wind Project

German electric utility company Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg (EnBW) has made its final €2.4 billion (~$2.6 billion) investment decision on He Dreiht, a major wind project in the German North Sea. The project has a capacity of 960...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
India Missed 2022 Renewables Target as Rooftop Solar and Wind fell Short

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy report has isolated underwhelming progress on rooftop solar and wind energy projects as the primary reason for India falling short of achieving its renewable energy capacity target...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Researchers Aim to Accelerate Delivery of Space-Based Solar Power to Earth

Researchers at Northumbria University are studying ways of producing wireless electricity from space to Earth by harvesting the Sun’s energy. U.S.-based aerospace, defense, and information security organization Lockheed Martin...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Regulator Directs Wind Energy Firm, MSEDCL, to Recompute Delayed Payment Charge

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) recently directed Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) to recompute the delayed payment charge from...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
One-Step Coating Could Make Perovskite Solar Cells Commercially Viable

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has devised a new way to produce perovskite solar cells that could speed its commercialization. Different layers are typically added sequentially to a conductive glass substrate to...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
ACWA Power to Develop Solar and Energy Storage Projects in Uzbekistan

Saudi Arabia-based energy company ACWA Power has signed power purchase and investment agreements with  National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade to develop new solar and battery...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
China Securities Regulatory Commission Approves Canadian Solar’s IPO

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved the registration of CSI Solar, the engineering, procurement, and construction arm of solar module maker Canadian Solar, to issue an initial public offering (IPO). The...

March 24, 2023

thumbnail
Renewables Accounted for 83% of the Total Generation Capacity Added in 2022

Renewable capacity grew by 9.6% in 2022, adding a record 295 GW worldwide. This accounts for 83% of all power capacity added last year and brings the global renewable generation capacity to 3,372 GW by the end of last year, a...

March 24, 2023

MORE NEWS