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

Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation V K Singh informed the Rajya Sabha informed that airports around the country have taken various measures to reduce their carbon footprint. These measures include replacing non-renewable energy with renewable energy sources like hydro, solar panels, and wind, rationalizing operating times/procedures, and using alternative fuels in ground handling vehicles. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised the operators of all brownfield airports with scheduled operations and developers of the upcoming greenfield airports to work towards achieving carbon neutrality to get accredited by the Airports Council International. Airports Authority of India has also taken the initiative to publish energy intensity data to reduce energy intensity for existing and upcoming airport projects.

Union Minister of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, shared information on the Geological Survey of India’s (GSI’s) lithium exploration in the country. GSI has carried out 20 projects on lithium and associated elements in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, in the last five years. During the present Field Season Program 2022-23, GSI has taken up 18 projects on lithium in Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Rajasthan. GSI has not yet augmented the resource of lithium. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) is exploring lithium in parts of Mandya and Yadgir districts, Karnataka.

PGE Group announced that it is working on the largest energy storage facility in Europe, and the project obtained the first license promise in Poland for electricity storage. The group’s strategic goal in energy storage is to have 800 MW of new energy storage in Poland by 2030. The project of a large-scale commercial hybrid energy storage at Żarnowiec Pumped-storage Power Plant with a capacity of no less than 200 MW and power output of more than 820 MWh is one of the largest projects of this kind in Europe. The energy stored would ensure safe system integration of new renewable energy sources, contribute to the stabilization of the power system, and improve the country’s energy security. This project will integrate the existing 716 MW pumped-storage plant with BESS, resulting in an innovative hybrid installation with a power of at least 921 MW and a capacity of over 4.6 GWh.

First Solar announced that Akuo, a Paris-headquartered independent global renewable energy producer and developer, placed an order for 500 MW of thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. First Solar will supply 200 MWDC for a utility-scale project developed by Akuo in the United States, with delivery scheduled for the first half of 2024. The remaining modules are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, potentially powering projects in Europe or other regions where Akuo is present. The deal, which leverages First Solar’s agile contracting approach, is expected to allow Akuo to benefit from the evolution of First Solar’s advanced Cadmium Telluride (CadTel) thin film module technology platform for the agreement.

Germany would require significant investments of €500 billion (~$506.57 billion) from the federal, state, and local governments, according to the calculations by KfW Research based on a study by Prognos, to achieve the climate targets by 2045. This corresponds to around €20 billion (~$20.26 billion) per year. The need for investment will arise primarily in the energy and transport sectors and roughly correspond to the interest expenditure on government debt. At €297 billion (~$300.91 billion), the most significant public climate protection investment requirements are in the energy sector, of which the vast majority at €249 billion (~$252.28 billion) is in renewable energy systems.