Indian Oil Issues Empanelment Tender for Solar Power Projects

Southern Railway Seeks Bids for 1.2 MW Rooftop Solar Projects in Chennai

Husk Secures $4 Million from Electrifi to Scale up Mini Grids in Rural India

Doubling Transmission Capacity of Existing Grid Through Reconductoring: Report

Daily News Wrap-Up: BJP, Congress Bet Big on Renewables in Election Manifestos

As ISTS Waiver Nears End, Developers Need Extension Amid Lack of Substations

Mahindra Susten to Develop 150 MW Open Access Renewable Power Project

BJP, Congress Bet Big on Renewables in 2024 Election Manifestos

Daily News Wrap-Up: REIL Invites Bids for 200,000 Mono PERC Solar Cells

Solar, Storage, Wind Drive 95% of US Interconnection Queues as Backlog Rises


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/amazon_polly_63338.mp3?version=1707993955">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p><a href="https://sunsure-energy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunsure Energy</a>, a leading independent renewable energy producer with a focus on the commercial and industrial (C&amp;I) sector in India, recently announced that <strong>Manoj Kohli and Mahesh Makhija</strong> have joined its <strong>Board of Directors</strong>. The company highlighted that the addition of Kohli and Makhija strategically strengthens the board by bringing in Kohli&#8217;s extensive 45 years of experience across global markets and Makhija&#8217;s more than twenty years of specialization in the renewable energy field. They join Inderpreet Wadhwa, the Founder &amp; CEO of Azure Power, who became a board member in December 2022. Their collective expertise is anticipated to significantly contribute to guiding Sunsure Energy&#8217;s expansion within the Indian renewable energy landscape.</p>
<p><strong>Sandeep Kashyap</strong> is embarking on a new chapter as the <strong>Chief Executive Officer</strong> of the Renewables Business at <a href="https://www.rpsg.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RP Sanjiv Goenka Group</a>. Kashyap comes from a seven-year tenure at ACME Group, where he served as the Chief Executive Officer for solar, wind, and electrolyzer manufacturing while also taking on the responsibilities of President of corporate affairs. His time in these roles, which were based in Gurugram, Haryana, India, preceded his position as Chief Operating Officer for the renewable energy business, where he played a significant role in the operations across India.</p>
<p><a href="https://dhashgroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DhaSh Group of Companies</a> has welcomed <strong>Bhupendra Singh Rawat</strong> as its new <strong>Chief Executive Officer</strong>. With thirty years of distinguished experience and leadership within the renewable energy field, Rawat is expected to play a pivotal role in driving the company&#8217;s growth and success through his vision and innovative approaches. Before joining DhaSh, Rawat spent more than seven years at RenewSys India, where he served as the Head of Supply Chain Management. Prior to that role, he was in charge of Business Development for over five years, further cementing his expertise and contribution to the industry.</p>
<p><strong>Amit Garg</strong> has recently been appointed as <strong>Associate Director </strong>at <a href="https://ampin.energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmpIn Energy Transition</a>. Previously, Garg held the position of Vice President at SunSource Energy, where he was instrumental in managing costs and supervising the operations of power plants. Prior to his vice-presidential role, he was the Assistant Vice President of Solar Operations and Maintenance. In that capacity, he focused on maintenance management and SCADA systems, showcasing his expertise and proficiency in an additional skill area.</p>
<p><strong>Sajay KV</strong> has officially taken on the position of <strong>Chief Executive Officer</strong> at <a href="https://www.solarpack.es/en/home-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solarpack</a>. Before this appointment, he significantly contributed to BrightNight Power India as its CEO, focusing on the company&#8217;s operations within the NCR region. Preceding his time there, Sajay was engaged as the President overseeing wind, solar, and regulatory affairs at Hero Future Energies in Delhi. Equipped with a mechanical engineering background and expertise in machine tool design, Sajay carries extensive experience in business process re-engineering into his new role. He is recognized for his leadership abilities in the wind and solar industries, having worked with independent power producers as well as firms specializing in original equipment manufacturing/engineering, procurement, and construction.</p>
<p><strong>Ravindra Goyal</strong> has been appointed as the <strong>Group Chief Procurement Officer</strong> by <a href="https://www.gensol.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gensol Group</a>. In his role, Goyal is tasked with spearheading the supply chain management initiatives across the group&#8217;s clean energy and electric mobility sectors. Working in collaboration with leadership teams at the entity level, his mandate includes improving procurement processes, achieving cost efficiencies to ensure projects are completed on schedule, upholding quality standards, and promoting the development and digitalization of supply chain management operations.</p>
<p><strong>N. Srikant</strong>, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been named the <strong>Additional Secretary of the Union Ministry of <a href="https://powermin.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Power</a> and New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>)</strong>. A member of the 1998 batch of all India services, Srikant has previously held the position of Joint Secretary in the Union Cabinet, and was transferred last year. Prior to that, he was the Secretary (Energy) for the Government of Andhra Pradesh and has filled various roles, including being the first Commissioner of the AP Capital Region Development Authority. As the Energy Secretary, Srikant was instrumental in adopting cost-saving initiatives that led to significant financial benefits for the State.</p>
<p>The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed <strong>Manu Srivastava</strong>, IAS, as <strong>the Additional Chief Secretary in the <a href="https://energy.mp.gov.in/en#:~:text=Energy%20Department%2C%20Government%20of%20Madhya%20Pradesh%20is%20concerned%20with%20power,power%20system%20in%20the%20state." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Power and Renewable Energy Department</a></strong>. Srivastava was earlier the principal secretary of the Technical Education, Skill Development, and Employment Department and the Rural Industries Department. Before these appointments, Srivastava served as the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh’s New and Renewable Energy Department, overseeing key responsibilities. He was also the commissioner for the New &amp; Renewable Energy Department, the Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam, and the Chairperson of Rewa Ultra Mega Solar.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Executives On the Move in the Renewables Industry


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/amazon_polly_47476.mp3?version=1673327666">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p><a href="https://tuscoltd.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TUSCO</a>, a joint venture (JV) between <a href="https://thdc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THDC India</a> and Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Development Agency (<a href="http://upneda.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPNEDA</a>), has invited bids to appoint a consultant to prepare pre-feasibility and detailed project reports (DPR) for the development of floating solar power projects in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p>The last date for the submission of the bids is January 30, 2023, and the bids will be opened on the next day.</p>
<p>TUSCO has set the estimated cost of the service at ₹34.2 million (~$415,919).</p>
<p>Bidders have to submit an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹343,000 (~$4,171). Medium and Small Enterprises are exempt from paying the EMD.</p>
<p>Bidders must submit a performance bank guarantee for an amount equivalent to 3% of the total contract price. They must submit a performance security equivalent to 3% of the total contract price within 30 days of the issue of the letter of award.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes preparations of reports comprising technical and commercial analysis to understand the attractiveness, feasibility, risks, and mitigation plans related to the setting of the floating solar projects.</p>
<p>For the pre-feasibility report, apart from assessing all the dam reservoir sites in Uttar Pradesh, the consultant must provide the costing estimate of the development of the project at each dam and the likely range of tariffs.</p>
<p>For each reservoir, the consultant is required to undertake single-beam and multi-beam bathymetry surveys of floating solar plant equivalent, geophysical surveys, geotechnical studies, topographic surveys, and energy yield assessments.</p>
<p>The winning consultant must collect and review historical water levels including maximum water levels, full reservoir levels, and minimum draw-down level, along with assessing the design of the area, elevation, and the capacity curve of the reservoir available with the owner or regulator of the water body.</p>
<p>For DPR, the selected consultant must study the solar market trends which include the global and national scenario of solar power projects, either ground-mounted or floating, along with their market share and new initiatives in solar technologies if any.</p>
<p>The scope of work also includes the preparation of the Environment &amp; Social Impact Assessment for the proposed dam reservoir sites.</p>
<p>The average annual turnover of the bidders during the last three financial years should not be less than ₹10 million (~$121,613). Their net worth must be equal to paid-up capital during the financial year 2021-22.</p>
<p>Bidders must have prepared at least two pre-feasibility reports or DPRs of grid-connected floating solar projects or parks with an installed capacity of not less than 50 MW.</p>
<p>Additionally, they must also have a minimum experience of 10 years in planning, design, development, and implementation of solar parks or grid-connected floating solar projects of 100 MW.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, TUSCO <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-tusco-signs-advisory-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an advisory mandate with the International Finance Corporation to develop 600 MW of solar power projects in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a> to stay on top of tender activity in real time.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

TUSCO Invites Bids from Consultants for Floating Solar Projects


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/amazon_polly_47207.mp3?version=1672722107">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from the world:</p>
<p><strong>The <a href="https://pakistan.gov.pk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pakistan</a> government, as the first step of its solarisation project, has decided to solarise all public buildings of federal ministries and its divisions across the country by April 2023. </strong>The decision is expected to help reduce the energy import bills and generate cheap and environment-friendly electricity to cut the reliance on imported energy, which is about $27 billion annually, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on his Twitter account.</p>
<p><strong>The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) </strong><a href="https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1888061" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>announced</strong></a><strong> that under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric vehicles) India Phase II program, cities </strong><strong>/STUs/state governments placed supply orders for 3,538 electric buses.</strong> Out of which, 1,716 e-buses have been deployed as on January 2, 2022. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has recently deployed 50 electric buses as part of the 300 e-buses approved for the corporation for intra-city operations. The ministry has also approved 100 electric buses for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for last-mile connectivity in August. The Centre is expected to provide an incentive of ₹1.65 billion ($19.9 million) to DTC for the 300 electric buses.</p>
<p><strong>BELECTRIC, a global EPC provider has <a href="https://www.tnb.com.my/assets/press_releases/20221296_ENG.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a contract with Vantage RE, a renewable energy developer, for the construction of 102 MW solar projects in England. </strong>Vantage RE is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Malaysian utility company Tenaga Nasional Berhad. BELECTRIC will build two solar farms which will be located near Hook in the region of Hampshire (66.5 MW) and Eastfields in Warwickshire (34.8 MW), and will be equipped with a 65 MWh battery storage system. The project would consist of almost 170,000 solar modules, with a capacity equivalent to 37,000 homes with green energy. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023.</p>
<p><strong>The United Kingdom <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministers-bolster-uk-nuclear-fuel-capacity-to-squeeze-out-russian-influence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a Nuclear Fuel Fund worth </strong><strong>£75 million (~$90.39 million), to encourage investment in new and robust fuel production capabilities in the country. </strong>The country’s Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart claims that the funding would support the development of alternatives to the Russian fuel supply and strengthen UK’s energy security. The fund is expected to back the government’s ambition to secure up to 24 GW of nuclear power by 2050. Earlier in June, G7 leaders agreed to begin concerted action to reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, including working to diversify their supplies of uranium and nuclear fuel production capability. Russia currently owns around 20% of the global uranium conversion capacity and 40% of the enrichment capacity.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Daily News Wrap-Up: Pakistan to Solarize All Government Buildings by April 2023


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/amazon_polly_45874.mp3?version=1670321756">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>A team of researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (<a href="https://www.nrel.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NREL</a>) and the <a href="https://www.uwstout.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Wisconsin, Stout</a>, have said glass-walled buildings can be made 40% more energy efficient through the addition of thermally efficient photovoltaic (PV) windows.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Energy’s (<a href="https://www.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOE</a>) Building Technologies Office funded the research.</p>
<p>Buildings usually account for roughly more than a third of the world’s energy consumption as well as global carbon dioxide emissions.</p>
<p>The researchers said that by combining PV with high thermal performance window technologies, new buildings have a chance to become crucial in combatting climate change.</p>
<p>Lance Wheeler, a scientist at NREL, along with his twin brother Vincent from Wisconsin University, primarily conducted the study to develop a software called PV window to allow users to model the design of PV windows for building simulations.</p>
<p>It outlines building design rules that can yield a structure with net-zero and net-positive energy consumption.</p>
<p>The team found that energy use increases when a building has more windows than wall space. However, the energy use drops when the ratio is increased along with the inclusion of PV glazing.</p>
<p>On its discovery, the team said that if PV glazing technology is coupled with photovoltaic panels on the outside of the building, particularly facing east and west, to capture early morning and late day, the buildings can reach net zero.</p>
<p>Referencing the Freedom Tower in New York, which has millions of square feet of glass, Wheeler said if fully glazed, the building “could be a power plant in itself.”</p>
<p><strong>PV Glazing </strong></p>
<p>For the study, the researchers considered buildings with a window-to-wall ratio of 95% – dubbed “highly glazed” — to understand the impact glazing has on overall building energy performance.</p>
<p>The study identified that improving glazing technologies, such as triple-pane windows, helped lower the buildings&#8217; energy consumption.</p>
<p>The team simulated the impact of three different types of PV glazing technologies in eight cities across different climates.</p>
<p>It was noted that highly glazed buildings require considerable energy to cool the occupants as many windows let sunlight stream through and raise the temperature.</p>
<p>Photovoltaic windows can provide thermal insulation for a building and use the absorbed energy to generate electricity.</p>
<p>Over a year, a clear trend emerged in PV generations in climates with weather that changes with the season.</p>
<p>For instance, the simulations revealed that in a city like Denver, onsite PV generation daily could cut 50% of the average building electricity load for a heavily glazed 12-story structure.</p>
<p>The team also identified that PV windows in Denver could eliminate up to 2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions annually.</p>
<p>The researchers noted that the technology could also be paired with rooftop solar to increase the amount of electricity generated, with the potential to create more power than a building needs by using high-efficiency PV windows and unique building geometry.</p>
<p>“We should be building highly efficient buildings… if we choose to keep making these buildings, we’ve got to reconcile their lower performance somehow, and PV windows are one way to do that,” Wheeler said.</p>
<p>In October, a new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/more-space-between-solar-panel-rows-help-lower-module-temperatures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that distancing rows of solar panels apart can help maintain the module temperature, which usually increases when solar modules are exposed to direct sun for a long time leading to a decrease in module efficiency.</p>
<p>Recently, a team of researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (<a href="https://www.gist.ac.kr/en/main.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GIST</a>), South Korea, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-claim-water-treatment-solar-cell-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that using a certain amount of deionized (DI) water prevents the aggregation of organic materials in solar cells, resulting in better performance.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Researchers Claim Photovoltaic Windows Can Cut Energy Use in Buildings by 40%


					<table id="amazon-polly-audio-table">
						<tr>
						<td id="amazon-polly-audio-tab">
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-label">Listen to this article</div>
							<div id="amazon-ai-player-container">
			<audio class="amazon-ai-player" id="amazon-ai-player" preload="none" controls   controlsList="nodownload" >
				<source type="audio/mpeg" src="http://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/amazon_polly_44153.mp3?version=1667896116">
			</audio>
		</div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-subscribe-tab"></div>
							<div id="amazon-polly-by-tab"></div>
						</td>
						</tr>
					</table><p>The World Bank Group (<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WBG</a>) recently approved South Africa’s request for a $497 million project to decommission and repurpose the Komati coal-fired power plant using renewable sources and batteries.</p>
<p>The Komati coal-fired plant is operated by the South African electricity public utility Eskom. The plant will be repurposed by installing a combination of 220 MW of clean energy solutions comprising 150 MW of solar photovoltaic and 70 MW of wind, and 150 MW of battery storage.</p>
<p>These capacities will enhance the quality of electricity supply and grid stability while supporting the affected workers of the Komati project through a comprehensive transition plan by creating job opportunities.</p>
<p>Eskom’s 15 coal-fired power plants, with an average age of 41 years, provide 38.7 GW of the country’s 52.5 GW installed capacity. However, South Africa’s power sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing 41% of carbon emissions.</p>
<p>“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a difficult challenge worldwide, particularly in South Africa given the high carbon intensity of the energy sector,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass.</p>
<p>Aligned with the Just Transition Framework, which aims minimization of climate transition-centric socio-economic impacts, the project hopes to uplift the livelihoods of the most vulnerable.</p>
<p>The Komati Just Energy Transition Project is jointly financed through a $439.5 million World Bank loan, a $47.5 million concessional loan from the Canadian Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility (CCEFCF), and a $10 million grant from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).</p>
<p>Options for the affected workers at the Komati plant will include transfers to other Eskom facilities, reskilling, and upskilling for deployment to the renewable energy plants.</p>
<p>A part of project financing will be directed at creating economic opportunities for 15,000 people.</p>
<p>Community-driven projects, skills training, incubation support, and business development services for new and existing micro, small, and medium enterprises are also likely to create jobs in agriculture, local manufacturing, and digital technology.</p>
<p>The decommissioning and repurposing of the Komati coal plant would serve as a demonstration project for the world and South Africa on how to transition fossil-fuel assets for future projects.</p>
<p>Malpass observed, “Closing the Komati plant this week is a good first step toward low carbon development. We are cognizant of the social challenges of the transition, and we are partnering with the government, civil society, and unions to create economic opportunities for affected workers and communities.”</p>
<p>Recent research published in the scientific journal Nature Energy <a href="https://mercomindia.com/african-clean-energy-debate-acknowledge-wise-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected</a> that the abundant benefits of a high renewable energy share that Africa accommodates could be met only by adopting a country and context-centric plan instead of treating the continent as a monolith.</p>
<p>Another <a href="https://mercomindia.com/clean-energy-supply-double-2029-temperature-rise-1-5-degrees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that despite Africa being home to 60% of the best solar resources globally, the continent has only 1% of installed photovoltaic capacity.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
</div>
<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Coal Plant in South Africa to be Repurposed with 220 MW of Solar, Wind and Battery Capacity

<p>Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:</p>
<p><strong>South Africa-based subsidiary of German renewable energy company juwi has signed an </strong><a href="https://www.juwi.com/news/artikel/artikelansicht/juwi-to-construct-worlds-largest-solar-hybrid-project-at-an-off-grid-mine-for-centamin-in-egypt" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>agreement</strong></a><strong> with Sukari Gold Mines</strong> to design, supply, build, and integrate a solar battery hybrid power plant for Egypt’s largest gold mine. The hybrid power solution will reportedly reduce diesel consumption by an estimated 22 million liters of emission per year and bring down sustaining costs and fuel price volatility. The initiative is not only slated to curb carbon emissions by an estimated 60,000 tCO<sub>2</sub> emission per year but also reduce the increased reliability of the power system.</p>
<p><strong>Solar developer ReneSola Power has entered into a </strong><a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renesola-power-and-eiffel-investment-group-sign-jv-agreements-with-the-goal-of-accelerating-solar-development-in-europe-301282884.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>joint venture</strong></a><strong> (JV) with Eiffel Investment Group to fast-track the company’s current and future solar projects across Europe.</strong> Under the JV, ReneSola will have a 51% stake and Eiffel, 49%. The initial portfolio will consist of 340 MW of projects in advanced stages of development located in Poland, Spain, and France, which will be completed by the partners. The JV company intends to fund the development of up to 700 MW of solar projects in the next three years across Europe.</p>
<p><strong>Danish power company Ørsted has </strong><a href="https://orsted.com/en/media/newsroom/news/2021/05/885212783010106" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>completed</strong></a><strong> its Permian Energy Center project, a 460 MW hybrid solar and battery storage facility located in Andrews County, Texas.</strong> The project has placed Ørsted’s onshore operating capacity at 2.1 GW. The project’s 1.3 million solar panels will generate enough clean energy to power more than 80,000 US households. The project with 420 MW of solar PV and 40 MW of battery storage will be located on a 3,600-acre site alongside existing oil and gas installations and will serve the growing West Texas demand for electricity.</p>
<p><strong>Wind turbine manufacturer</strong><strong> Vestas has been </strong><a href="https://www.vestas.com/en/media/company-news?n=3964592#!grid_0_content_0_Container" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>selected</strong></a><strong> by Neoen to deliver engineering, procurement, and construction solutions to its 404 MW Mutkalampi onshore wind project in Finland.</strong> Apart from looking into the project’s civil and electrical works, Vestas will also deliver its EnVentus platform to the Mutkalampi project, its largest order yet in Europe for the wind turbine platform. The order takes sales of the EnVentus platform to over 2.9 GW, with approximately 1.2 GW of those orders being installed in Finland, indicating Finland’s eagerness for turbine technology uptake. Most of the electricity produced in Mutkalampi will supply Google, Heineken, Nobian (previously Nouryon), Philips, and Signify through five 10-year corporate power purchase agreements for a combined total of 251 MW. Fully owned by Neoen, Mutkalampi will be Finland’s biggest wind farm.</p>
<p><strong>Illinois-based UL has </strong><a href="https://www.ul.com/news/ul-announces-plans-collaborate-nrel-towards-commercialization-solarapp-automated-permitting?linkId=117877870" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>signed</strong></a><strong> a </strong><strong>memorandum of understanding with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to collaborate towards the commercialization of the SolarAPP+ automated permitting tool.</strong> The tool will help local governments expedite permitting on residential solar projects while determining compliance with safety and code standards. The device is likely to cut down on the time required to grant a permit from a national average of five business days to zero.</p>
<p><strong>Siemens Gamesa has been confirmed as the </strong><a href="https://www.siemensgamesa.com/en-int/newsroom/2021/05/210505-siemens-gamesa-press-release-taiwan-offshore-hai-long" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>supplier</strong></a><strong> for Hai Long’s 1,044 MW offshore wind projects.</strong> Siemens Gamesa’s largest offshore agreement in Taiwan to date now covers the Hai Long 2B (232 MW) and Hai Long 3 (512 MW) projects. Siemens Gamesa will deliver SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines to all three wind power projects of Hai Long. The SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines are planned to be installed 50 km off the coast of Changhua County. Each turbine will have a capacity of 14 MW and feature a rotor diameter of 222 meters using 108-meter-long Siemens Gamesa IntegralBlades.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/srinwanti/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Srinwanti Das</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Srinwanti-300pxl.jpg" alt="" width="106" height="115" />Srinwanti is a copy editor at Mercom India, where she writes and edits news stories across the clean energy spectrum. Prior to Mercom, she has worked in book publishing at Macmillan Publishing House and Integra and honed her editorial and writing skills in both online and print media such as Reuters, Times Group Books, The Times of India, and Pune Mirror, covering local to international stories. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/srinwanti/">More articles from Srinwanti Das.</a></p>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

Daily News Wrap-Up: juwi to Build Solar Battery Hybrid Project at Egypt’s Largest Gold Mine

<p>The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (<a href="https://mcdonline.nic.in/sdmcportal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SDMC</a>) and <a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NTPC</a> have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to install solar systems on over 200 SDMC buildings to save on power bills and generate revenue.</p>
<p>SMDC’s leader of the house, Narender Chawla, told Mercom, “We have installed solar projects on several of our existing buildings, and we will add panels on the remaining buildings. We are tying up with NTPC for this.”</p>
<p>Chawla added that the exact number of systems installed across various buildings would be disclosed soon. The capacity of each solar system will be based on the size of the rooftop of each building.</p>
<p>“Our focus is to add solar on all of our existing buildings. These include schools, parking lots, maternity homes, and hospitals. The MoU was signed a couple of days ago, and we just met the Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), R.K. Singh, and discussed the details of the project,” Chawla said.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the mayor of SDMC, Subhash Arya, told Mercom, “ This is not the first time we have undertaken such a project, as we have tried to cover as many schools and community halls to generate revenue out of it.”</p>
<p>In 2018, SDMC <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sdmc-selling-rooftop-solar-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">declared</a> itself India’s first civic body to generate solar power through rooftop solar installations atop 55 of its buildings, earning a significant income in just three months by selling the surplus power generated to Delhi’s power distribution company BSES. The civic body claims to have earned approximately ₹0.96 million (~$0.014 million) by selling its surplus solar power.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in 2019, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed an <a href="https://mercomindia.com/eesl-joins-hands-sdmc-install-ev-charging-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MoU</a> with the SDMC to establish the required infrastructure for electric vehicles in the SDMC area for ten years. According to the terms outlined in the MoU, the two entities will work in tandem to fast-track the adoption of e-mobility by installing 75 electric vehicle charging stations in the SDMC area.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rahul-nair/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rahul Nair</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p>Rahul is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before entering the world of renewables, Rahul was head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked for DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Hailing from a banking and finance background, Rahul has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rahul-nair/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rahul Nair.</a></p>
</div></div><div class="clearfix"></div></div></div>

power-plant

Get the most relevant India solar and clean energy news.

RECENT POSTS