Author Archives: Nithin Thomas Prasad
About Nithin Thomas Prasad
Nithin is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Reuters News, he has covered oil, metals and agricultural commodity markets across global markets. He has also covered refinery and pipeline explosions, oil and gas leaks, Atlantic region hurricane developments, and other natural disasters. Nithin holds a Masters Degree in Applied Economics from Christ University, Bangalore and a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai.
Fourth Partner Receives ₹5 Million Loan to Provide Solar for Non-Profit Entities
Fourth Partner Energy, an Indian distributed solar energy firm, has received a loan of ₹5 million (~$67,167), from Grameen Impact India (GIII), a non-banking finance corporation (NBFC) registered under the ...
Trina Solar Achieves 23.39% Efficiency in PERC Cells
Trina Solar has announced that its State Key Laboratory (SKL) of photovoltaic (PV) science and technology (PVST) has fabricated Passivated Emitter Rear Cells (PERC) with a 23.39% power conversion efficiency ...
West Bengal to Develop a 10 MW of Floating Solar Project at Sagardighi
The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) has issued a tender for 10 MW of grid-connected floating solar project at the Sagardighi Thermal Power Project in Murshidabad. The scope ...
Researchers Claim 27.7% Efficiency in Mechanically-Stacked PV Silicon Tandem Cell
Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) claim to have set a new conversion efficiency record of 27.7% in mechanically-stacked perovskite-silicon tandem cells. This would only need to improve slightly, ...
ITI Limited to Procure Solar Power Through Open Access Under Group Captive Model
ITI Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communications, has issued a tender for procuring solar energy from the off-site, ground-mounted project through the group ...
ANERT Floats Tender to Solarize Agricultural Pumps Under KUSUM Program in Kerala
The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) has invited bids from reputed manufacturers or EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractors for a rate contract to solarize ...
Gujarat Successfully Runs Coal Project at 40% Capacity to Support Renewable Integration
The Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) has successfully managed to operate its 500 MW Ukai unit under its coal-based power project at 40% of its capacity during a recently ...
France’s Total to Provide 25 MW of Rooftop Solar Systems to Thailand-based Food Company
Global energy giant Total has announced that its affiliate, Total Solar Distribution Generation, will provide 25 MW of solar rooftop systems to Betagro, a food company in Thailand. It said ...
CDPQ’s Share in Azure Power Rises to 50.9%
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), one of Canada’s leading institutional investors, has acquired an additional 717,701 shares from a shareholder of Indian independent power producer Azure Power ...
REIL Tenders 3.5 MW of Solar Projects for Substations in Maharashtra
Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) has invited bids for setting up 3.5 MW of solar-projects ranging between 500 kW and 2 MW or more, at various locations and substations ...
APTEL Rules in Favor of Solar Developer, Sets Aside KERC Order Reducing COD Extension
The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) has allowed an appeal by Azure Sunrise Private Limited (ASPL) (subsidiary of Azure Power Global Limited) and has set aside an order passed by ...
REC Issues Tender for 7 Transmission Projects in Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra
The REC Transmission Projects Company Limited (RECTPCL) has floated a request for proposal (RfP) for transmission service providers to set up seven projects on a build, own, operate, and maintain ...
CEA Seeks Suggestions From Stakeholders on Renewable Forecasting and Scheduling
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has released a notice inviting comments and suggestions for a proposed stakeholder meeting to help deal with problems surrounding forecasting and scheduling of renewable energy ...
PGCIL’s Gujarat Subsidiary Gets Transmission License for 2 GW of Renewable Projects
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has given transmission license to Powergrid Bhuj Transmission Limited (PBLT) to build transmission systems for 2 GW of renewable energy projects in Gujarat. The ...
Delhi DISCOMs Asked to Take Precautions in Providing Power to New EV Charging Stations
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has written a letter to distribution licensees in the city asking them to implement necessary safety measures before providing power to newly installed electric ...
Solar Tender and Auction Announcements Declined Sharply in February
Tender announcements in February 2020 fell nearly 58% from the previous month, with only about 1.7 GW of solar projects announced, according to Mercom India’s Solar Tender Tracker. This is a ...
Southern Railways to get Net Metering for a 4 MW Rooftop Solar Project
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has issued an order directing the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to provide the Southern Railway with low-tension and high-tension metering ...
DISCOMs’ Outstanding Payments to Renewable Generators Rise to ₹62.19 Billion
Distribution companies (DISCOMs) owed renewable energy generators ₹62.19 billion (~$856.2 million) in overdue outstanding payments at the end of January 2020. Excluding payments under dispute, overdue payments stood at ₹61.88 ...
JP Morgan Commits $200 Billion for Sustainability, To Stop Lending to Coal Companies
U.S.-based JP Morgan Chase, one of the world’s largest banking institutions, announced that it has committed $50 billion (~₹3.59 trillion) towards green initiatives as part of a larger $200 billion (~₹14.37 ...
A 1 kW Rooftop Solar System to Cost Just ₹22,200 for Residential Consumers in Punjab
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has announced subsidies for grid-connected rooftop solar systems ranging between 1 and 10 kW in the residential sector, which could make solar very ...
LONGi Solar to Acquire a Chinese Solar Cell & Module Manufacturer for $253 Million
LONGi Solar, a Chinese manufacturer of high-efficiency mono-crystalline solar cells and modules, has announced a framework agreement to acquire solar cell and module manufacturer Ningbo Jiangbei Yize New Technology for ...
IFC to Help Burkina Faso Assess Economic Benefits of Solar Energy Storage Systems
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the financial wing of the World Bank Group, has signed an agreement with Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Energy to assess the economic benefits of private ...
Gujarat Budget Allocates ₹9.12 Billion for Solar Rooftop, ₹1.25 Billion for KUSUM Program
Gujarat’s Finance Minister Nitinbhai Patel presented the state budget for the financial year 2020-21, which included a ₹9.12 billion (~$127.19 million) provision for a subsidy for solar rooftop projects and ...
NTPC’s Tender for 600 MW of ISTS-Connected Wind Projects
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has floated a tender for 600 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS) connected wind energy projects in the country. The last date for the ...
Research Demonstrates 17% Power Conversion Efficiency in Organic PV Cells
A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a technique that could increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells to 17% ...
