GAIL (India) has invited bids for the installation and commissioning of a 10 MW grid-connected solar power project at its Vijaipur complex in the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. The select contractor must oversee the project’s operation and maintenance for five years. The last date to submit the bids is July 12, 2023. Bids will be opened the following day.

The Ministry of Power has amended the program for bundling renewables and storage with thermal and hydropower projects to allow the setting up of renewable energy projects not co-located in the engineering, procurement, and construction tendering mode or through joint ventures. The previous provisions allowed only co-located projects to be included under the bundling program. The Ministry has also clarified the provisions for co-located renewable energy projects and their tariff determination process.

Fichtner Consulting Engineers has been awarded a consultancy contract by Assam Power Distribution Company to prepare a detailed project report for a 1 GW grid-connected solar project in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The company had quoted a contract value of ~₹27 million (~$329,554) for the consultancy services.

The West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) has proposed rules encompassing various provisions relating to the determination of tariffs in the state. The WBERC (Modalities of Tariff Determination) Regulations, 2023, intends to provide a transparent and structured framework for the state’s power generation, transmission, and distribution, ensuring fair and efficient consumer electricity pricing. Stakeholders can submit their suggestions and comments by July 12, 2023.

Investment firm Blackstone Infrastructure Partners have finalized an approximately $1 billion equity investment in sustainable energy solutions provider Invenergy Renewables Holdings. The infusion of funds will play a vital role in supporting Invenergy’s diverse portfolio of projects, which encompasses solar and onshore wind farms, energy storage facilities, offshore wind initiatives, high-voltage direct current interregional transmission lines, clean hydrogen projects, solar module manufacturing, and its burgeoning reactivate venture that focuses on community solar initiatives.

Sustainable infrastructure investor Actis has agreed to sell the entirety of BTE Renewables to France-based energy firm ENGIE and global investor and asset manager Meridiam. Upon completion of the transaction, ENGIE will acquire BTE’s South African renewable project portfolio and team, while Meridiam will take ownership of the Kenyan portfolio and team. In 2017, Actis established a pan-African renewable energy platform by acquiring the Kipeto wind project in Kenya during its development phase. The platform expanded in 2019 with the acquisition of BioTherm Energy, a company focused on South Africa, which was subsequently rebranded as BTE.

A discovery by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Northern Illinois University has developed a layer made of nickel-doped graphite combined with a bismuth-indium alloy as a cost-effective alternative to the gold layer used on perovskite solar cells. The two layers can be easily integrated into the perovskite device by simply painting them on, making the fabrication process cost-effective and accessible and perovskite solar cells commercially viable.