Author Archives: Debjoy Sengupta
About Debjoy Sengupta
Debjoy is a Senior Assistant Editor at Mercom. Debjoy brings more than two decades of experience in frontline journalism, spending most of his career working for dailies like Business Standard and The Economic Times. He has reported on a vast array of sectors, including power and renewables. A graduate in business economics, Debjoy is an amateur 3D digital artist and a photographer. More articles from Debjoy Sengupta.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Choose Green Energy
The fizz in your favorite drinks from beverage majors, Coke and Pepsi, will increasingly be powered by renewable energy. The two companies are setting firm deadlines for energy sustainability, reducing ...
Flood Risk Assessment Essential for Longevity of Solar Assets
Preliminary flood risk analysis, development of efficient drainage, and systems for channelizing excess water outside project boundaries are essential in preventing large-scale damage to solar installations during a flood, consultancy ...
By 2030 Solar-Powered Hydrogen Could Be Cheaper Than Fossil Fuel-Based Production
Hydrogen produced from solar-powered equipment could be cheaper than fossil fuel-based production methods in a decade, indicated a study. The study, by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was ...
NTPC to Stop New Land Acquisition for Coal-Based Projects
India’s largest coal-fired power generator, NTPC Ltd, aims to transform itself into the country’s biggest renewable energy producer and refrain from acquiring land for new thermal power projects, its chairman, ...
China’s Pledge to Become Carbon-Neutral by 2060 Has Global Implications
The world’s largest and growing energy market, China, announced its ambition to transform into a carbon-neutral economy by 2060. However, for a country that contributes 28% of global emissions, Chinese ...
Average Cost of Lithium-ion Battery Cell Likely to Plummet to $100/kWh in 2023: Report
Average lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cell cost will fall below $100/kWh in the next three years, while improved cheaper technologies and economies of scale will drive it down to $73/kWh by ...
Military Engineer Services Gets Net Metering for Rooftop Solar Above Ceiling Capacity
The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) has allowed Military Engineer Services (MES) branches at Roorkee and Dehradun to set up a 2 MW grid-connected rooftop solar system each under net metering ...
Blackstone Sets Up a $250 Million Fund for Distributed Renewable Projects
The United States-based global investment firm, Blackstone, has announced a $250 million fund for distributed and sustainable energy infrastructure assets to ride on the renewable energy wave that’s sweeping energy ...
IFC Asks Clients to Not Invest in Companies That Do Not Want to Exit Coal
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the financial arm of the World Bank Group, is advising its clients in the financial sector to increase their climate-related lending, reducing their exposure to coal ...
China Leads the Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain as Europe Makes Progress: BNEF Study
Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturers are likely to retain their recently acquired number one position in the next five years. The U.S. and Sweden may emerge third and fourth by 2025, ...
Solar Developers Want Government to Penalize Delayed Transmission Projects
Solar power project development slowed down drastically since March when India imposed a lockdown to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Solar installations declined more than 80% in Q2. Only 205 MW ...
US Companies Ask Insurers to Say No to Fossil-Fuel and Support Renewable Businesses
Sixty U.S. companies have teamed up to persuade American insurers to ditch fossil fuel-based businesses. In a letter to insurers, these businesses said: “As insurance customers, we are expressing our ...
Power Grid to Monetize Transmission Assets of ₹70 Billion via InvIT
Earlier this week, state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) received the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs’ approval to monetize its transmission projects through the Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) model ...
Greece Likely to Spend $5.9 Billion for Lignite Phase-Out, Set Up a 204 MW Solar Park
Greece is likely to spend $5.9 billion to neutralize the economic impact of phasing off lignite-based power generation according to a report by Athens News Agency - Macedonian Press Agency ...
China’s FDI in India’s Non-Conventional Energy Space Shrunk in 2019-20
China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Indian non-conventional energy segment was just 3.14% of the total Chinese FDI over the last five years, indicated minister of state for finance, ...
Solar Curtailment Could Rise Globally as PV Penetration Increases
The trend of curtailment of renewable power has started taking shape globally. Power firms in China, Chile, several U.S. markets, including Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Texas, had to curtail at ...
China’s GCL-Poly Begins Construction of a 54,000 MT Polysilicon Facility
Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon, a subsidiary of Chinese major GCL-Poly Energy Holdings, announced the ground breaking of the first phase of its 54,000 metric tonnes (MT) polysilicon manufacturing facility using a ...
Hydrogen Harnessed from Ocean Water Can Solve India’s Energy Storage Challenges: Report
The United Kingdom would need 75,000 MW of offshore wind energy to achieve net-zero emission by 2050. Such a sizeable intermittent power generation capacity could be stabilized with hydrogen generated ...
Buyers Lap Up Solar and Green Power from Indian Energy Exchange’s New Trading Platform
Solar power is trading at premiums ranging between ₹0.40 (~$ 0.0054)/kWh and ₹0.60 (~$0.0082)/kWh on the Indian Energy Exchange’s (IEX) recently launched renewable energy platform, an executive told Mercom. “IEX ...
Petronas’ Indian Arm Acquires 100 MW of Solar Assets from ACME at ₹8 Billion
Amplus, the Indian arm of Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Bhd), a Malaysian government-owned oil and gas company, has acquired 100 MW of solar assets from ACME Solar. The deal was valued ...
Adani’s 1.5 GW Rajasthan Solar Park Project Hits Land Hurdle
Adani Group’s initiative to expand its solar power generation portfolio has hit a temporary roadblock. A report by PTI said that the Rajasthan High Court has temporarily stayed its 1,500 ...
Shutting Down Old & Under-Construction Coal Projects Could Save ₹1.1 Trillion: Report
In India, shutting down 20-year or older coal-fired power projects and scrapping under-construction thermal power projects could save the government, power distribution utilities, and consumers almost ₹1.1 trillion (~$15 billion), ...
EESL Floats Tender for Equipment to Improve Indoor Air Quality at Government Offices
State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has invited bids for installing almost 3.7 million filtration systems to be fitted with air-conditioners and ventilation equipment in government office buildings. It is ...
Thermal Units May Recover Pollution Control Retrofit Costs Over 25 Years, Suggests CERC
Thermal power projects retrofitting pollution control systems on commissioned units will be allowed to recover their costs in parts from buyers during the tenure of power purchase agreements, Central Electricity ...
US-Based Solar Workgroup Offers Renewable Jobs to Coal Workers
U.S.-based of The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia has launched a new initiative to set up commercial-scale solar installations in the coalfield region of Southwest Virginia and offer renewable energy ...
