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.
Bharat Forge Invests ₹113.75 Million in Avaada’s Group Captive Open Access Solar Project
A Pune-based multinational infrastructure company, Bharat Forge Limited, has invested ₹113.75 million (~$1.51 million) in Avaada SataraMH Private Limited (ASPL). The investment represents 8.98% of ASPL's paid-up equity capital. The ...
Agartala to House North East’s First Solar-Powered Airport
The Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission (TERC) has approved a 2 MW solar project at the newly constructed terminal at Agartala's Maharaj Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport. The terminal will become operational ...
Reduced Lock-In Period for Solar Projects Could Spur Foreign Investments and Liquidity
In October 2020, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released a series of amendments related to the tariff-based competitive bidding process to procure power from grid-connected solar projects ...
India Forms Committee to Oversee Implementation of the Paris Agreement
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has constituted a high-level inter-ministerial Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA). The Secretary of MoEFCC will lead ...
United States Levies 120% Import Duty on Silicon Imports from Kazakhstan
The U.S. Department of Commerce said it would impose preliminary duties of 120% on all silicon metal imports from Kazakhstan. American silicon manufacturers like the U.S. based subsidiary of Ferroglobe ...
Residential Rooftop Solar Loans: All You Need to Know
In the fourth article of our series covering all you need to know about rooftop solar systems, we focus on ways to finance your residential rooftop system. This write-up will ...
Robotic Solar Solutions Maker Ecoppia Launches IPO on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
Ecoppia, a robotic cleaning solutions provider for large-scale solar installations, launched an initial public offering (IPO) on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE). Ecoppia secured $82.5 million from leading institutional ...
Nigeria to Set Up Hybrid Solar Projects for Seven Universities
Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has revised the deadline for its Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). Under NEP, the Nigerian government plans to develop solar hybrid power stations at seven universities, ...
Electric Two-Wheelers Can Now Operate as Taxis
According to the latest motor vehicle aggregators guidelines, the government will now allow two-wheelers running on electricity or alternate fuels (such as bio-ethanol) to be operated as taxis. According to ...
Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Ashok Leyland Partner for an E-Bus Pilot at IIT Madras
Hitachi ABB Power Grids has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ashok Leyland and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) for an e-mobility pilot project. Under the tripartite ...
Telangana Finalizes Demand-Side Management Regulations for Distribution Licensees
The Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) has released the final regulations for the demand-side management (DSM) initiatives of distribution licensees (DISCOMS). The DSM initiative is designed to encourage consumers ...
South Delhi Civic Body Partners with NTPC to Install Solar Systems on 200 Buildings
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and NTPC have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to install solar systems on over 200 SDMC buildings to save on power bills and ...
Okaya Bags EESL Contract to Set Up 1,020 EV Charging Stations Across India
Okaya Power has bagged a World Bank-funded contract from the state-run Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) to deploy 1,020 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country. EESL falls under ...
Biocon to Procure Solar Via Open Access Under Group Captive Model From Hinduja Renewables
Bengaluru-based biopharmaceutical company Biocon Limited will acquire a 26% equity stake in Hinduja Renewables Two Private Limited (HRTPL). Biocon would shell out ₹59 million (~$799,085) to purchase the stake, and ...
Airtel Buys 5.2% Stake in Avaada Energy’s Special Purpose Vehicle for Solar Projects
Telecommunications giant Bharti Airtel said it signed an agreement to acquire equity shares in Avaada MHBuldhana Private Limited- a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for solar projects. The SPV was formed ...
Tender Issued for 733 Solar Street Lighting Systems in Nainital
Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) issued tender inviting bids for approximately 733 solar street lighting systems in Nainital. The contract includes a five-year warranty and comprehensive maintenance as well ...
CERC Seeks Proposals from Consultants for Detailed Study of Solar Thermal and PV Projects
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has decided to engage a consulting agency to conduct a detailed study on solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. The study's objective is ...
Canadian Solar’s Financial Report Acknowledges Raw Material Shortage Affecting Prices
Global solar module supplier and project developer Canadian Solar has reported a strong performance in its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. The module manufacturer said it ...
Trina and Tongwei Sign a $2.3 Billion Deal to Ramp up Solar Cell and Wafer Production
Trina Solar, a global PV and smart energy solution provider, announced a joint venture with solar cell manufacturer Tongwei. The joint venture enables Trina Solar to collaborate with Tongwei subsidiary ...
Battery Storage Solutions Provider Form Energy Raises $70 Million
Massachusetts-based Form Energy – a startup focusing on making battery systems that can store renewable energy (solar and wind) for longer durations – said it received its largest funding yet ...
Karnataka Regulator Retains Tariff of ₹4.79/kWh for Adani’s 40 MW of Solar Projects
The Karnataka Electricity Regulation Commission (KERC) passed two orders in favor of Adani Green Energy Limited's (AGEL) two projects of 20 MW each. The distribution companies (DISCOMs)- Hubli Electricity Supply ...
NITI Aayog Prepares Bid Invitation Proposal for Advanced Chemistry Cell Manufacturing
The NITI Aayog has issued a draft request for proposal (RfP) to prospective bidders who can manufacture advanced chemistry cells (ACCs) in the country. All stakeholders are requested to provide ...
Net Metering Removal for Rooftop Solar Systems Over 5 kW Will Be Disastrous: Installers
In September 2020, the Ministry of Power (MoP) released draft electricity rules 2020 to streamline power supply and distribution. One of the critical points in the draft revolves around gross ...
How Carbon Dioxide Gas Can Help Develop High-Performance Solar Cells
A group of researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia said they discovered a process for depositing silicon oxide on silicon wafers to ...
Sun Exchange’s 1.9 MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project For Zimbabwe’s Vegetable Exporter
Zimbabwe’s leading fruit and vegetable exporter, Nhimbe Fresh, struck a deal with South African solar leasing platform Sun Exchange to install 1.9 MW of solar-plus-storage project for its cold store ...
