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

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched India’s first solar energy-driven miniature train at Veli tourist village in Thiruvananthapuram. The Miniature Rail has all the features of a fully-equipped rail system, including a tunnel, a station, and a ticket office. The surplus energy generated by the system will be routed to the state’s grid.

Ecoppia, a provider of robotic solar solutions, announced signing a 450 MW project with Azure Power. The project is now reaching advanced stages, scheduled to go live at the beginning of Q1 2021. Despite the ongoing global pandemic, Ecoppia said it secured new projects for more than 10 GW in the last four quarters, maintaining a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 280% in the previous six years.

BioSolar, Inc, a developer of energy storage technology and materials, said that it had formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, NewHydrogen, Inc., to develop an electrolyzer technology to lower the cost of green hydrogen. This program will run parallel and complementary to the company’s existing lithium-ion technology development targeting the high-growth battery electric vehicle sector.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fortescue Metals Group and Iwatani Corporation (Iwatani) to explore a business model for the supply of liquefied hydrogen from renewable energy. The parties will investigate the establishment of integrated liquefied hydrogen supply chains, encompassing hydrogen production and liquefaction using electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind in Australia and overseas, which would then be transported by a liquefied hydrogen marine carrier for delivery and distribution in Japan.

sPower, a leading renewable energy independent power producer, declared the acquisition of nine solar projects in New York from National Grid Renewables, the renewable energy arm of National Grid’s competitive, unregulated division. The portfolio includes projects in Franklin, Jefferson, Chautauqua, Lewis, and other counties across Upstate New York. This portfolio is estimated to have a 1 GW renewable energy capacity. Six of the nine projects are currently in the early stages of the application process. The projects are expected to reach commercial operation between December of 2022 and December of 2023.

TP Renewable Microgrid, a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power, commissioned its 100th solar microgrid project in a remote village of Ratnapur, Uttar Pradesh, on November 26, 2020, coinciding with its first anniversary. This 30kW microgrid project harnesses energy from the sun using solar panels. The microgrid has a battery as an energy storage system. For the back-up power supply, a DG-set has been installed in the microgrid itself, enabling a 24×7 power supply to the community.

Here is our previous daily news wrap-up.