In recent years, there has been a noticeable surge in the number of commercial and industrial consumers in India embracing open-access solar projects to fulfill their energy requirements. Leading the charge is Karnataka, which has emerged as a shining example of progress in adopting solar power. In the first quarter of 2023, Karnataka remained the leading state, accounting for over 37% of cumulative solar open access capacity as of March 2023, according to the recently launched Q1 2023 Mercom India Solar Open Access Market Report.

NHPC has invited bids to set up a pilot project for a green hydrogen-based mobility station in Kargil, Ladakh, to run two hydrogen fuel cell-based buses within the vicinity of the area. The contractor will also be responsible for developing a 500-kW grid-connected ground-mounted solar power project to supply power to the station. The desired electrolyzer technology for the project should fall under the Alkaline, Proton Exchange Membrane, Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell, or Anion Exchange Membrane type.

Government-owned mining and power generating company NLC India has announced the incorporation of a subsidiary named NLC India Renewables to manage the existing renewable assets of the company. The company has been registered in Chennai and will begin its operations soon. NLC organizes its businesses under mining (lignite and coal), power generation (including thermal, solar, and wind), and power trading.

Canadian Solar, a solar module manufacturer headquartered in Canada, has announced the establishment of a 5 GW solar photovoltaic module manufacturing facility in Mesquite, Texas. This facility, representing an investment of over $250 million, will produce approximately 20,000 high-power modules daily. The company is known for its work in solar cell technology, and the new facility will deploy its innovative Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology.

Bengaluru-based Nithin Sai Renewables, a renewable subsidiary of Nithin Sai Constructions, has announced its plans to build an automated solar module manufacturing line with a capacity of 500 MW. The company has placed an order for the equipment with turnkey solar production lines provider Mondragon Assembly. The advanced line will be specifically designed to produce higher-wattage modules featuring larger cut cells.

In a collaborative experiment to increase the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells, a group of scientists introduced an electron transport layer made of indium sulfide to reduce the defect density and improve performance. Experts from research universities in the United States, India, Iraq, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia simulated the indium-sulfide-based heterojunction organometallic perovskite solar cells with a newly developed model named— Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator-1D.