The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity has affirmed the rights of power generators Vaayu (India) Power Corporation and Vishwind Infrastructure to terminate their power purchase agreements with the Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh (APSPDCL). The decision comes in the wake of APSPDCL’s persistent defaults on payment obligations, which were previously identified by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission. It also allowed the two wind energy generators to sell their power under open access arrangements.

Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation has invited bids to empanel developers to install 511 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems on government buildings in the state. Bids must be submitted by January 20, 2025. Bids will be opened on January 21. Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹870,000 (~$10,187)/MW of the quoted capacity. Small-scale industries must furnish an EMD of ₹217,500 (~$2,546)/MW.

UltraTech Cement, an Aditya Birla Group company, has announced that it will source renewable energy in captive mode from CleanMax’s special-purpose vehicle (SPV), Clean Max Sapphire. The company has entered energy supply, share subscription, and shareholders agreements to acquire a 26% equity share in Clean Max Sapphire, investing up to ₹457.6 million (~$5.3 million). The SPV will set up a 55 MW wind-solar hybrid project on a captive basis in Honawad in Vijayapur district, Karnataka to supply power to UltraTech Cement.

Solar module manufacturer Waaree Energies has approved the establishment of a 300 MW electrolyzer and a 3.5 GWh lithium-ion Advanced Chemistry Storage Cell manufacturing plant. The company will set up the electrolyzer manufacturing project under its subsidiary Waaree Clean Energy Solutions, utilizing ₹5.51 billion (~$64.75 million) in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and ₹2 billion (~$23.50 million) in investment. The project will be developed under the Production-Linked Incentive tender issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through the Solar Energy Corporation of India. The CAPEX will be funded by debt and internal accruals.

Researchers from the Canepa Research Laboratory at the University of Houston, in collaboration with French institutions, have developed a new material – sodium vanadium phosphate (NAxV₂(PO₄)₃), that improves the energy density of sodium-ion (Na-ion ) batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for sustainable and cost-effective energy storage. Sodium vanadium phosphate offers a higher operating voltage of 3.7 volts than the conventional 3.37 volts in existing materials. The increased voltage results in a 15% improvement in energy density, growing from 396 Wh/kg to 485 Wh/kg.