Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has invited a limited tender for an engaging project management consultant to install and commission a 14 MWac solar power project at its BINA refinery. The last date to submit the bids is February 24, 2022. The project should be commissioned within eight months from the date of issue of the letter of award.

In his recent written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Power and MNRE, R.K. Singh, shared the steps taken by the government to enhance the use of biomass in coal-based thermal power plants (TPP). Initially implemented in November 2017, the policy made it mandatory to use a 5-10% blend of biomass pellets made primarily of Agro residue and coal after assessing the technical feasibility. In October 2021, it was revised to mandatorily co-fire suitable biomass pellets in the range of 5% to 7% in all coal-based power projects depending upon their type of milling system. The MoP also established a National Mission on Use of Biomass in Thermal Power Plants (NMBTPP) to expedite biomass utilization in TPPs. A specialized sub-group under the aegis of NMBTPP was constituted to deal with research and development on boiler design and safety aspects for a higher amount of co-firing of biomass.

EDL has flipped the switch on its Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Power Station in the Northern Territory township of Jabiru. The new 11.4MW solar battery-diesel power station replaced the town’s diesel-fueled electricity supply. During the day, the hybrid power station will draw on 100% solar from the 3.9MW solar farm to supply Jabiru, while in the evening, the 3MW/5MWh battery will kick in, with diesel as back up. Over a year, EDL will deliver 50% or more renewable energy, which sets Jabiru well on track to help meet the Northern Territory Government’s 50% renewable energy target by 2030. According to EDL, Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Power Station is the fourth successful hybrid renewable project it has delivered since 2017.

The Ministry of Power (MoP) and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) ensure the timely completion of power projects through a series of steps. It will monitor the progress of under-construction power projects through frequent site visits and interaction with the developers and other stakeholders. CEA also holds review meetings periodically with the developers and other stakeholders to identify and resolve issues critical for the commissioning of projects. Regular reviews are also undertaken in MoP to identify the constraint areas to facilitate faster resolution of Inter-Ministerial and other outstanding issues. Issues related to project implementation are taken up with State Government or District Administration for resolving the issues raised by the project implementing agencies. Matters are also taken up with the State Government or District Administration for extending help to the project implementing agencies in resolving the right of way issues.

Swiss power producer Alpiq signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Merkkikallio Wind Oy to offtake an 82.5-MW wind farm production output in Finland. The wind farm is located near the city of Vaasa, in the Finnish Southern Ostrobothnian region, and consists of 15 wind turbines having a rated power of 82.5 MW. With this PPA, both Alpiq and RPC will increase the stability of their business plans and reduce market risks. Alpiq is supporting the transition to CO2-free power production in the Nordics. Merkkikallio Wind Oy is a special purpose vehicle owned by London-based renewable energy investment platform Renewable Power Capital.

R K Singh stressed the need for collaborative efforts between the Central and State Governments towards the large-scale deployment of energy efficiency measures in potential sectors of the economy. The ministry said this during a virtual meeting held to discuss the role of States and UTs towards the energy transition goals of India. Singh said that India will replace diesel with renewables to achieve the target of zero diesel use in the agricultural sector by 2024. He emphasized the need to have a State-specific agency dedicated to energy efficiency and conservation. He urged that the states develop an action plan to achieve the assigned targets. The Minister, during the meeting, highlighted that the commercial buildings should follow the energy conservation building code (ECBC) and the domestic buildings should follow ECO NIVAS, and this should be part of the building by-law.  ECBC and ECO NIVAS are energy conservation building codes for buildings.