Author Archives: Rahul Nair
About Rahul Nair
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. More articles from Rahul Nair.
FAME II Certificates for Electric Vehicle Models Will be Valid for a Year
The Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprise (MHIPE) has announced that the validity of ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME)-II’ certificates for all vehicle models ...
Daily News Wrap-up: Coca-Cola Amatil Joins Global RE100 Initiative
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: Coca-Cola Amatil announced it has joined the global RE100 renewable energy initiative and committed to power its ...
Month in a Minute: Top Headlines from Indian Renewable Sector in March 2021
Here is a recap of some of the most important headlines from March 2021: Distribution companies (DISCOMs) owed ₹122.49 billion (~$1.65 billion) to renewable energy generators (excluding disputed amounts) in ...
Winning Tariff of ₹2.20/kWh in the GUVNL Solar Auction Hasn’t Factored BCD
The Indian Government's endeavor to encourage domestic manufacturing of solar modules and cells led to the imposition of BCD (Basic Customs Duty) on solar modules with HSN Code 85414012 BCD ...
Daily News Wrap-Up: Tata Power-DDL Introduces Narrow Band IoT’ in Smart Meters
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: After successfully installing 2.3 Lakh smart meters on RF technology, Tata Power Delhi Distribution (Tata Power-DDL) has ...
DISCOMs Need Distribution System Operators To Forecast Renewables and Manage Load
India is an attractive solar market with tremendous, long-term potential. The installation targets are aggressive; however, the investments in the sector have stymied due to counterparty credit risks from distribution ...
Ministry of Power Proposes Allowing Net Metering for Rooftop Solar up to 500 kW
The Ministry of Power has issued a draft amendment to Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which allows net metering for rooftop solar systems of loads up to 500 kW ...
Solar Will Lead All Power Generation in the Coming Decades
The Mercom India Solar Summit 2021 kicked off on April 8, 2021, with the session 'Keynote-State of Indian Solar market,' led by Priya Sanjay, Managing Director, Mercom India, and Raj ...
Daily News Wrap-up: ReNew Power Commissions a 110 MW Solar Project in Rajasthan
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: Nebras Power has taken a controlling stake in six companies operating Ukraine’s solar power projects through UDP ...
Daily News Wrap-Up: Hydrogen Market Revenue Is Expected to Surpass $300 Billion by 2027
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: The global hydrogen market revenue is expected to surpass $300 billion by 2027, as reported in the latest study ...
Production-Linked Incentive Program for Solar Cells and Modules Approved
The Union Cabinet has approved the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy's (MNRE) proposal for the implementation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program for the 'National Program on High-Efficiency ...
Tata Power Solar Doubles Cells, Modules Manufacturing Capacity to 1,100 MW
Tata Power Solar has announced the expansion of its manufacturing unit in Bengaluru, taking the total production capacity of cells and modules to 1,100 MW. The latest expansion move has ...
US Calls for Countervailing Duty on Indian Wind Energy OEMs
The International Trade Administration (ITA), under the United States Department of Commerce, has recommended the imposition of countervailing duty (CVD) against wind energy equipment manufacturers from India and Malaysia. The ...
Daily News Wrap-Up: Flipkart Ties Up with Mahindra Logistics to Accelerate EV Deployment
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: Flipkart announced that it has partnered with Mahindra Logistics Limited, one of its key logistics partners, to ...
‘Change in Law’ Clause in PPAs Signed by Small Scale Distributed Solar Projects Approved
The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) has approved the incorporation of 'change of law' in the proposed power purchase agreements (PPAs) by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam. These PPAs are ...
Smoothening the Rough Ride from Tenders and Auctions to Signing Power Sale Agreements
According to the Q4 & Annual, 2020 India Solar Market Quarterly Update, in 2020, about 32.5 GW of tenders were announced by various agencies, and over 22 GW of projects ...
Facebook to Buy 5 MW Power from Sunseap Group’s Offshore Solar Floating Project
Singapore-based solar energy company Sunseap Group has signed a multi-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Facebook for solar energy from Singapore's largest offshore floating solar farm in the Straits ...
Daily News Wrap-Up: $421 Million of Loanpal Residential Solar Loans Securitized
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: Loanpal, an American point-of-sale technology platform for sustainable home solutions, has announced Goldman Sachs-sponsored Loanpal Solar Loan ...
ReNew Power to Raise $585 Million Through Dollar Green Bonds
ReNew Power has announced the successful pricing of $585 million of 4.5% U.S. dollar-denominated senior secured 'green bonds' due 2028 on March 31, 2021, to be issued by its subsidiaries ...
Azure Power Sells Non-Core Rooftop Solar Portfolio to Radiance Renewables
Independent solar power producer Azure Power Global has announced that it had signed a binding agreement to sell its non-core rooftop solar portfolio to Radiance Renewables for ₹5.36 billion (~$73.5 ...
Airtel’s Data Centers Go Green Sourcing Power from a 14 MW Captive Solar Project
Digital communications solutions provider Bharti Airtel announced that it will begin sourcing power from a 14 MW captive solar project to meet the energy requirements of its core and edge ...
Government-owned Power Financing Institutions Reduce Lending Rates
State-owned non-banking financial firms, Power Finance Corporation (PFC), and REC will reduce lending rates by up to 2% points from April 1, 2021. According to the PTI, the PFC said, ...
Daily News Wrap-up: NTPC Commissions 70 MW Capacity of a Solar Project
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: NTPC has announced that 70 MW of 85 MW Bilhaur Solar PV Project at Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh, ...
Can Rooftop Solar Come out of Ground-Mount’s Shadow and Be the Next Big Thing?
Cumulative rooftop solar installations crossed the 5 GW mark at the end of 2020 but still make up a small portion of the 40 GW of solar installed in the ...
SECI to Tender 1.2 GW of ISTS-Connected Solar Wind Hybrid Projects Soon
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has informed that it will issue a request for selection (RfS) for setting up 1,200 MW of inter-state transmission system-connected (ISTS) solar wind ...
