REMC Limited has invited bids to procure 695 MW of round-the-clock power from grid-connected renewable energy projects with or without storage to operate in tandem with existing 500 MW Ircon Renewable Power (IRPL) and 195 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL) solar projects. The proposed RTC power supply will include the existing supply from the IRPL and RUMSL solar projects. The selected project developer will only supply power for the time blocks where power is not available from these existing projects and fulfill the annual and time block availability. Bidders must submit separate bids for the two tandem projects.

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company to release the performance bank guarantees of solar developers ACME Sikar Solar and ReNew Dinkar Urja upon the termination of their power purchase agreements (PPA), failing the power evacuation set up by the state entities. The Commission held that the inability of the transmission company to ensure power evacuation constituted a force majeure event under the PPAs. As the force majeure had continued beyond 180 days, it ruled that the solar developers had validly terminated the PPAs.

MSEB Solar Agro Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maharashtra Electricity Board MSEB Holding Company, has invited bids to procure 130 MW solar power for feeder-level solarization under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan program. The projects will be developed under the state’s Mukhyamantri Saur Khushi Vahini program. The last date to submit the bids is February 27, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day. Bidders must pay a refundable processing fee of ₹2,500 (~$30.09) and a document fee of ₹25,000 (~$301).

Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has invited bids to install and commission 1 MW of rooftop solar power projects on stations and PAC depot of the Agra Metro Project under the renewable energy service company model. The selected installers must oversee the project’s comprehensive operation and maintenance for 25 years. The work must be completed within six months of receiving the letter of award. The project’s estimated cost is ₹35.8 million (~$431,368). The last day to submit the bids is February 20, 2024. Bids will be opened the next day.

Rangiya Division of Northeast Frontier Railway has invited bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement grid-connected rooftop solar power projects of a cumulative capacity of 1 MW at its carriage and wagon workshop in New Bongaigaon in Assam. The projects will be executed on a public-private partnership and a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis. The projects would be developed in two capacity ranges— (i) above 10 kW and up to 100 kW, and (ii) above 100 kW and up to 500 kW. Bidders can quote for one or both capacity categories.

MSEB Solar Agro Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maharashtra State Electricity Board MSEB Holding Company, has invited bids to procure 133 MW of solar power for feeder-level solarization under Component C of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan program, in Latur. The projects will be developed under Phase 2 of the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana program. The last day to submit the bids is February 27, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Gujarat-based electric-vehicle (EV) logistics startup EVIFY has raised $1.3 million in a pre-series A round to finance its operational expansion across Gujarat and product innovation. The funding was led by venture capital firms GVFL and Piper Serica Angel Fund and saw participation from existing investors We Founder Circle and IVY Growth and a few angel investors. The company aims to grow its existing fleet from 400 operational in Surat and Ahmedabad to 4,000 electric bikes by March 2025.

The temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is set to go green in a big way, with a 40 MW solar power project likely to become fully operational by March 2024 and a string of other solar initiatives spearheaded by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department. The project is being developed by NTPC Green Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, on 165 acres of land. “We are ready to commission a 15 MW capacity now,” Ratan Singh, Project Head and Additional General Manager of NTPC Green Energy, told Mercom. The part commissioning will be done in the next few days.

China-based photovoltaic module manufacturer DAS Solar plans to raise up to RMB 2.5 billion (~$350 million) by issuing up to 58,789,573 shares through an initial public offering at RMB 1 (~$0.140) per share. The proportion of total equity after the offering is not expected to be less than 10%. According to the released prospectus accepted by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, DAS Solar is set to invest approximately RMB 5.813 billion ($811.18 million) in proposed projects. The cornerstone of these initiatives involves the construction of a 14 GW N-type TOPCon high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cell manufacturing facility.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales and the National University of Singapore have developed a scalable solution to overcome the rechargeability challenges of aqueous rechargeable zinc battery technology. The new method is expected to solve a significant problem with the aqueous rechargeable zinc battery technology, which is the ability to recharge, which has so far proven to be limited due to the amount of corrosion suffered by the battery’s zinc metal electrode.