Author Archives: Priya Sanjay
About Priya Sanjay



Great Indian Bustard and the Renewable Energy Sector – How to Save Both
Uncertainty looms over the future of renewable power projects in Rajasthan following the Supreme Court order which says that power lines in the region be shifted underground, as electrocution was ...

COVID-19 Disrupts India’s Solar Growth, Installations Decline to 1.1 GW in Q1 2020
India installed 1,080 MW of solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, a 43% decline quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), compared to 1,897 MW installed in Q4 2019. The findings were ...

DISCOMs in Union Territories to be Privatized, New Tariff Policy in the Making
In the fourth tranche of the economic stimulus package, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several significant power sector reforms. The latest announcement comes on the heels of the announcement made ...

Mercom Reveals India’s Solar Market Leaders in CY 2019
Mercom India Research has released a data report, India Solar Market Leaderboard 2020, which reveals the solar industry market leaders that emerged during the calendar year (CY) 2019. The report features ...

DISCOMs Collect Power Bills Online But Refuse to Pay Power Generators Amid COVID-19
The grave economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is being felt across all segments of the power sector, including renewable energy. To try and slow the spread of Coronavirus, a ...

With 2,245 MW of Commissioned Solar Projects, World’s Largest Solar Park is Now at Bhadla
The Bhadla Solar Park has become the world’s largest solar park, with 2,245 MW of solar projects commissioned. With Hero Future Energies (HFE), commissioning a 300 MW project at Bhadla-III ...

Sizeable Investments Waiting to be Unlocked in India’s Solar Open Access Market
The total installed solar capacity in the open access market reached 3.6 GW at the end of the calendar year (CY) 2019 and the pipeline of projects under development and ...

MNRE Mulls Alternatives for EMD & PBG to Ease Liquidity in the Solar Sector
MNRE is considering alternative arrangements for earnest money deposits (EMDs) and performance guarantees (PBGs) submitted by developers to Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the National Thermal Power Corporation ...

DGTR To Review Continued Imposition of Safeguard Duty on Solar Cells and Modules Imports
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is initiating a review investigation, for examining the need for the continued imposition of safeguard duty on the import of solar cells and ...

At 7.3 GW, India’s Solar Installations in 2019 Declined by 12%
India installed 7,346 MW of solar capacity in the calendar year (CY) 2019, a 12% decline year-over-year (YoY), compared to 8,338 MW in 2018, according to Mercom India Research’s newly ...

MNRE Mulls Removal of Tariff Caps for Solar and Wind Tenders
According to industry sources, in a meeting with the developers of solar and wind projects, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has proposed the removal of tariff caps, ...

No Basic Customs Duty on Imported Solar Cells and Modules for Now
The basic customs duty on the import of solar cells and modules into the country will remain 'zero', for now, an official of the Ministry of Finance confirmed to Mercom ...

Uncertainty Around Proposed Basic Customs Duty of 20% on Imported Solar Cells and Modules
In a surprising development, the government in an amendment has split the earlier tariff item 8541 40 11 (solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels) into two; ...

India Added 5.4 GW of Solar in 9M 2019, with 2.2 GW Installed in Q3 2019
According to Mercom India Research’s newly released Q3 2019 India Solar Market Update, solar installations in India increased 44% in Q3 2019 reaching 2,170 MW, compared to 1,510 MW in ...

India’s Solar Market Leaders Unveiled for First Half of 2019
India’s solar installations recorded in the first half (1H) of calendar year 2019 totaled 3.2 GW and the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity has exceeded 31.5 GW. India’s pipeline of utility-scale ...

Center Mulls 5-Min Time-Block for Deviation Settlement as Renewable Generation Surges
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) recently organized a conference “Energizing South” in Tamil Nadu’s capital city of Chennai. The conference’s theme was “India at 75: Forging Ahead: Commercially Smart, ...

Andhra Court Quashes Government Order Asking Solar and Wind Developers to Reduce Tariff
In a much-needed relief for the renewable developers, the Andhra High Court has quashed the state government’s order and letter issued to renewable developers to reduce their quoted tariffs. Considering ...

MNRE Asks SECI to Set Upper Ceiling for Solar Tariff at ₹2.50/kWh Without Safeguard Duty
In a significant development, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a letter (reviewed by Mercom) directing Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set the maximum ...

Cancelling 3 GW SECI Solar Auction Could Backfire Due to Safeguard Duty
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)’s 3 GW Interstate Transmission System (ISTS)-connected solar auction stands a chance of being cancelled according to government sources and developers. In the auction, ...

Orissa High Court Issues Temporary Stay on Levy of Safeguard Duty on Solar Imports
The recommendation made by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) to impose a 25 percent safeguard duty on solar imports has displeased both developers and manufacturers for different reasons ...

Will the Lowest Bid Breach ₹2.44/kWh Mark in the Upcoming SECI 3 GW Solar Auction?
Tariffs are expected to tumble to record lows in the upcoming SECI 3 GW Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS)- connected solar auction. As of June, the tender was oversubscribed by 2.1 ...

ACME, Shapoorji, Hero, Mahindra, Azure & Adani Win SECI’s 2 GW Solar Auction
ACME Solar, Shapoorji Pallonji, Hero Solar, Mahindra Susten, Mahoba Solar (Adani), and Azure Power have emerged as the winners in the recently conducted auction by the Solar Energy Corporation of ...

2017 India Solar Market Share Leaders Revealed After a Record Year
India emerged as the third largest solar market in the world behind China and the United States after a record 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017 - more than ...

ReNew Buys Ostro in One of the Largest Renewable Acquisition Deals in India
Indian renewable energy project developer ReNew Power has announced the acquisition of Ostro Energy Private Limited. The acquisition is valued close to ₹10,600 crores (~$1.63 billion), according to Mercom’s channel ...

BREAKING: Petitioners Withdraw Solar Anti-Dumping Case, to Refile Next Week
In a significant development, Indian solar manufacturers have withdrawn the anti-dumping petition filed with the Ministry of Trade and Commerce against solar cell and module imports from China, Taiwan and ...