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.
Gadkari Urges R K Singh to Reconsider Net Metering Restriction for Rooftop Solar
The Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Nitin Gadkari, has brought the attention of the Minister of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), R K Singh, to a representation ...
Ashok Leyland to Buy Solar Via Group Captive Model from Hinduja Group’s Open Access Project
Ashok Leyland, the multinational automobile company owned by the Hinduja Group has announced that it has invested ₹186.6 million (~$2.56 million) for a 26% stake in Prathama Solarconnect Energy Private ...
Villages Reap Benefits from Punjab’s First Solar-Based Water Supply Projects
The Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department has set up the first-of-its-kind solar-based water supply projects at Jagrawan-Muradpur and Talwara villages of Jalandhar district under the 'Har Ghar Paani, Har ...
MNRE to Remotely Monitor Solar Assets Under KUSUM Program
The United Kingdom (U.K.)-India Power Sector Reforms (PSR) Program will assist the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the conceptualization, design, and development of the Solar Energy Data ...
GreenCell Joins Hands with PMI Electro to Deploy 350 Electric Buses Across Uttar Pradesh
GreenCell Mobility, an electric mobility-as-a-service (eMaaS) platform, has announced that it is investing ₹4 billion (~$55.09 million) in a consortium run by PMI Electro Mobility Solutions to deploy 350 electric ...
Ather Energy Begins Electric Two-Wheeler Production at its Facility in Tamil Nadu
Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer, Ather Energy, has commenced operations from its facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. Ather has also started deliveries in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad, and ...
Is Customs Duty Hike Sufficient to Incentivize Domestic Manufacture of Solar Inverters?
In the Budget 2021, the Finance Minister proposed to raise the customs duty on solar inverters from 5% to 20% and on solar lanterns from 5% to 15% to encourage ...
Shell to Annually Invest $5-6 Billion in Renewables, Low-Carbon Fuels & EV Charging
Global energy conglomerate, Royal Dutch Shell, has said it will invest $5-6 billion annually in its Growth Pillar, including $2-3 billion in renewables and energy solutions, to accelerate its transformation ...
Goa Announces Electric Mobility Initiatives
Goa's Minister of Power, Environment, and New & Renewable Energy Nilesh Cabral emphasized the importance of ushering in electric two-wheelers in Goa. He also highlighted other electric mobility initiatives as ...
Daily News Wrap-Up: Hyderabad Metro Rail Goes Solar
Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world: Amp Energy India has commissioned a behind-the-meter solar project for L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited, a public-private ...
NTPC’s 520 MW Hydropower Project Damaged in Glacier Burst and Floods
A glacial lake burst led to a rise in water levels in the river Rishiganga in Uttarakhand, damaging part of NTPC's 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project which was under ...
Developers Write to Prime Minister’ Office on the Gujarat Solar Auction Fiasco
The Solar Power Developers Association (SPDA) has written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), against the delays in signing the power purchase agreements (PPA) by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam ...
Pathways for US to Meet Net Zero, Net Negative CO2 Emissions by 2050: Report
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has published a report claiming to have created multiple pathways to help the United States meet net-zero and net negative CO2 emissions by 2050. AGU ...
Mumbai’s Railway Stations to Get EV Charging Points
Central Railways has partnered with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tata Power to install charging points for electric vehicles (EV) at all important railway stations in the city, suburbs, ...
Macquarie’s Green Investment Group Launches Solar Energy Company With an 8 GW Portfolio
Macquarie's Green Investment Group (GIG) has launched Cero Generation, a specialist solar energy company working across Europe to support a net-zero future transition. Consolidating GIG's existing and future European solar ...
CERC Rejects Petition to Exempt Projects in Solar Parks from ISTS Charges
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has rejected a petition to declare an inter-state transmission system (ISTS) transmission network connecting the solar park with the national grid as a ‘project ...
Budget 2021 Receives Mixed Reactions from Energy Sector Stakeholders
The 2021-22 Budget tabled in the Parliament by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has received a mixed response from stakeholders in the energy sector. While the massive outlay for revamping ...
Budget 2021 Sets Aside ₹10 Billion for SECI, Increases Customs Duty on Solar Inverters
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the 2021-22 budget in the parliament in the backdrop of a falling economy crushed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Finance Minister said that the ...
EDEN Renewables Secures Financial Closure for its 450 MW SECI III Solar Project
Total Eren and EDF Renewables announced that EDEN Renewables India, which is their equally owned joint venture dedicated to large-scale Indian solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, has successfully secured financial closure ...
CDC Announces $30 Million Green Lending Facility to Tata Cleantech Capital
U.K.'s development finance institution and impact investor, CDC Group, has announced a $30 million facility to Tata Cleantech Capital Limited (TCCL) through CDC's directed green lending facility. This first of ...
500%-800% Rise in Freight Charges Adding Financial Burden on Solar Projects
Indian solar developers face a new challenge while importing modules, especially from China. Solar companies are reporting that shipping/freight charges have shot up substantially in the range of 500%-800% in ...
Cipla to Procure Solar Via Open Access Under Group Captive Model from AMP Energy
Indian pharmaceutical major Cipla will be procuring solar from a 20 MWac (30 MWdc) group captive project in Tuljapur, Maharashtra. Spread across 115 acres, the solar project has been commissioned ...
Government Mulls Imposing Green Tax on Vehicles Older Than Eight Years
The Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Nitin Gadkari, has approved a proposal to levy 'Green Tax' on old vehicles polluting the environment. MoRTH has forwarded the proposal to ...
Amara Raja Power Wins Bid to Install Balance of Systems at NTPC’s 90 MW Solar Project
Power control equipment manufacturer and power project developer Amara Raja Power Systems (part of the Amara Raja Group of companies) has won the reverse auction conducted by NTPC for a ...
SC Allows CERC to Pronounce Orders in Reserved Matters Until New Member of Law Joins
In a new development regarding the appointment of Member (Law) at the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), the supreme court has allowed pronouncement of judgments in some reserved matters until ...
