NTPC Renewable Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, has invited bids for the supply of solar modules for the Shajapur solar project (458.25 MW), Bhuj solar project (375 MW), and Bhadla solar project (625 MW). The scope of work includes manufacturing, supply, packing, forwarding, and transportation of open-category crystalline solar modules as per the wattage and dimensions mentioned in the tender. The last date to submit the bids is July 6, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has updated the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) with the addition of five new entrants with a cumulative module manufacturing capacity of 343 MW. The five new entrants are SAEL (141 MW), Rhine Solar (43 MW), Spark Solar (42 MW), Genus Innovation (22 MW), and Fujiyama Power Systems (95 MW). With the latest additions, the ALMM now has 82 module manufacturers with 19.19 GW of listed module capacity.

The Central Electricity Authority’s National Electricity Plan proposes the development of over 8.68 GW of battery energy storage systems in place of previously proposed coal capacity, eliminating any new coal plant installations until 2027. The draft plan released in September estimated a need for approximately ~8 GW of new coal capacity by 2027. The plan provides a roadmap to the required installed capacity to meet the projected peak demand in the country.

The International Energy Agency has forecast a slowdown in India’s utility-scale solar projects in 2023 and 2024 due to a module shortage, lower auction volumes, and supply chain challenges. India’s focus on expanding domestic manufacturing of solar modules is causing a supply-demand mismatch and higher prices in the short term, impacting the sector’s growth in 2023 and 2024. Historically, India has heavily relied on importing nearly 90% of its solar modules from China.

The Union government has launched the unified registration portal for GOBARdhan, with the aim of streamlining the process of setting up compressed biogas (CBG)/Biogas plants in India. The portal will act as a one-stop repository for assessing investment and participation in the sector nationwide. The initiative aims to convert waste into wealth and realize the goals of a circular economy. The portal will offer feasibility for government bodies, cooperatives, and private enterprises to register and obtain a unique registration number for entities interested in establishing biogas/ (CBG)/bio-CNG projects.

A recent report published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has listed specific business models that would help India cope with the challenges of implementing agrivoltaics. Firstly, IISD recommends agrivoltaics jointly owned by the farmer and developer, while the second way is agrivoltaics solely owned by either party, and the third model is where the developer is the primary promoter and the farmer is the partner. India has a total of 14,636.6 kW of installed agrivoltaics capacity that is in the pilot stages.

Ohmium International, a green hydrogen solutions provider, announced that its subsidiary in India has been chosen as the preferred partner by NTPC Renewable Energy Limited to deploy Ohmium’s proprietary proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers in projects totaling 400 MW. By leveraging the company’s advanced technology, NTPC aims to facilitate the deployment of 5 GW of renewable energy specifically for green hydrogen and ammonia production. The deal, perceived as India’s largest PEM electrolyzers partnership, will span over two years and last until May 2025.

France installed 601 MW of solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, compared to 596 MW installed in the same period of the previous year. Solar generated 3.6 TWh of power in Q1 2023 from the 3.2 TWh during the same period in 2022. Solar generation accounted for 2.7% of France’s electricity consumption, representing 0.5% year-over-year growth. France has a total installed solar capacity of 17.15 GW as of March 31, 2023, with 16.4 GW in mainland France.

Electric vehicle charging solution provider ChargePoint’s net loss narrowed by 11% year-over-year (YoY) to $79.4 million for the first quarter (Q1) of the financial year (FY) 2023-24, primarily driven by the higher revenue from the company’s networked charging systems. The company’s income from the networked charging system for Q1 totaled $98.3 million, up 64% YoY, as it expanded the portfolio of charging solutions across North America and Europe.