Author Archives: Rakesh Ranjan
About Rakesh Ranjan
Rakesh Ranjan is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.

Kerala Extends Validity of Consumer Incentives for Off-Grid Solar Systems by 2 Years
The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has extended the validity of its incentives for off-grid solar projects by extending the program by another two years. KSERC, in its order ...

Canada’s Institutional Investor CDPQ to Invest $75 Million in Azure Power
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), one of Canada’s leading institutional investors, has announced that it will invest $75 million in Azure Power Global Limited, a solar power ...

Tenders Announced for 328 E-Carts for Solid Waste Management in Vellore
The Rural and Panchayat Raj Department in the state of Tamil Nadu has issued tenders for the procurement of 328 battery operated carts for solid waste management in the village ...

Rajasthan DISCOMs Asked to Pay ₹313 Million to NTPC After Trading Margin Dispute
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has directed three distribution companies in the state of Rajasthan to pay ₹313.4 million (~$4.4 million) that’s due to NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited ...

UAE-Based Masdar Backs India’s Hero Future Energies with $150 Million Investment
In a significant development for the domestic renewable industry, the United Arab Emirates-based Masdar has invested around $150 million (~₹10.7 billion) in Hero Future Energies, one of the leading names ...

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power Signs PPA with Egypt for a 200 MW Solar Project at Kom Ombo
ACWA Power, Saudi Arabia’s energy giant, has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the government of Egypt to finance, develop, construct, and operate the 200 MW Kom Ombo solar ...

ENGIE Africa Commissions Egypt’s Largest Wind Farm
ENGIE Africa, the African arm of the French multinational electric utility company, has announced the commissioning of the 262.5 MW Ras Ghareb wind farm in Egypt, 45 days ahead of ...

Tata Signs PPA for a 250 MW Solar Project at Gujarat’s Dholera Solar Park
The renewable arm of Tata Power, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL), has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GUVNL) for a 250 MW ...

Tamil Nadu Likely to Set Solar RPO for FY 2020 at 6%
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has invited suggestions and comments on the proposed amendments to its Renewable Energy Purchase Obligations (RPOs). The commission has been mandated to set ...

GAIL Floats Tender for 3.2 MW of Rooftop Solar Projects for its Premises Across India
The Gas Authority of India (GAIL) has floated a tender for the installation of rooftop solar projects with a total capacity of 3.2 MW at various locations of GAIL across ...

Kerala Floats Tender for the Procurement of Solar Boats
The State Water Transport Department (SWTD), Government of Kerala, has floated a tender for the construction and supply of three solar boats. The last date for the submission of bids ...

Renewable Arm of Tata Power Receives the LoA to Develop a 150 MW Solar Project
Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power, has received the Letter of Award from Tata Power-Distribution to develop a 150 MW solar project in the ...

Solar Developers Can Install DC Capacity Higher than the Project’s Contracted AC Capacity
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an advisory that clarifies that as long as a solar PV project is in accordance with the contracted alternating current ...

Japan’s Univergy to Invest $200 Million in Zambian Solar Projects
Univergy Solar, a renewable energy company, based in Japan, is going to invest more than $200 million in two solar projects in the central African nation of Zambia. This is ...

Trading Platform for International Renewable Energy Certificates Started in Singapore
Singapore-based SP Group, one of the leading names in the energy utility business, has now become the first authorized local issuer of International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs) in the Asia ...

Tamil Nadu Floats Tender to Procure 117 E-Carts for Solid Waste Management in Vellore
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, has issued a tender for 117 battery-operated carts for solid waste management in the village panchayats of Vellore district ...

Not the Right Time to Implement Flexibility in Power Generation, Says MERC
In response to a petition filed by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd. (MSPGCL), the Maharashtra Energy Regulatory Commission (MERC) has issued an order which states that it is not ...

China and India Poised to Lead Asia in Harnessing Wind by 2050: IRENA Report
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released its latest Global Energy Transformation Report, which explores global energy development scenarios up to the year 2050. The report states that Asia ...

NTPC to Procure 250 Electric Buses for Three Cities in Madhya Pradesh
NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. (NVVN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, has announced a tender to procure and operate 250 air-conditioned (AC) electric buses. The electric buses will be purchased ...

Adani to Build Power Transmission Network in Gujarat for Renewable Energy Evacuation
Adani Transmission Ltd. (ATL), the transmission business arm of the Adani Group, has received two Letters of Intent (LoI) from REC Transmission Projects Company Limited (RECTPCL) to develop two transmission ...

China‘s Solar Installations Dip by 45% YoY during January-September 2019
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has announced that between January to September 2019, the country added 16 GW of solar capacity, a decrease of 45% year-over-year (YoY) from the 44 ...

Bengaluru-based Fuel Cell Startup Log 9 Materials Gets $3.5 Million in Series A Funding
Bengaluru-based fuel cell startup Log 9 Materials has announced that it has secured $3.5 million in the latest Series A round of funding led by Exfinity Venture Partners and Sequoia ...

Hindustan Aeronautics Seeks a Partner to Foray into EV Charging Business
The electronics manufacturing division of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has issued a Request for Information (RfI) to identify a potential Indian entity for business cooperation in the electric vehicle ...

Meghalaya Floats Tender for 3 MW of Rooftop Solar Projects with Net Metering
Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) has issued a tender for 3 MW grid-connected solar rooftop projects under the net metering arrangement. The tender has been floated under ...

ABB Set to Acquire Majority Stake in Chinese E-Mobility Company
Switzerland-headquartered ABB is set to acquire a 67% share stake in Shanghai Chargedot New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese e-mobility solution provider. According to the company statement, the ...