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

Indian Railways plans to develop around 71.7 MW of solar projects on its unused vacant land. Of this, 50 MW of solar projects will be developed at Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, and 15 MW in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It will develop a 3 MW solar project at Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, and a 2 MW solar capacity at Diwana, Haryana. It also plans to develop a 1.7 MW solar project at Bina, Madhya Pradesh.

Reliance New Energy Solar Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, has completed the acquisition of 100% shareholding of REC Group from China National Bluestar. In October 2021, the company announced that it would acquire REC Solar Holdings for $771 million. The acquisition is expected to help Reliance expand globally in key green energy markets, including in the U.S., Australia, Europe, and elsewhere in Asia.

Shirdi Sai Electricals Limited and Viridis iQ GmbH have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 4 GW vertically integrated module manufacturing facility. Under the production-linked incentive (PLI) program, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency awarded Shirdi Sai a PLI of ₹18.75 billion (~$252 million) for a 4 GW solar module manufacturing capacity.

Larsen & Toubro and ReNew Power have signed a partnership agreement to tap India’s emerging green hydrogen business. Under this agreement, the companies would jointly develop, own, execute, and operate green hydrogen projects in India. The companies anticipated that the green hydrogen demand in India for applications like refineries, fertilizers, and city gas grids would group up to 2 million tons per annum by 2030, in line with the nation’s green hydrogen mission. This would call for an investment of more than $60 billion.

RenewSys, a solar module manufacturer, announced the launch of CONSERV Giga Fast Cure. This EVA encapsulant could reduce the curing stage of module manufacturing by two to three minutes per module. The company said the new technology would provide a wide processing window, shorter curing time, increase module manufacturing production by 10% to 20%, and reduce manufacturing costs.

 Tata Power and ama Stays & Trails have joined hands to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points at over 30 ama Stays & Trails villas and heritage bungalows across 11 destinations. Under the partnership, Tata Power EZ charge will set up EV chargers for guests staying at the ama Stays and Trails homestays, allowing them to recharge their electric vehicles.

Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals has set up its largest research and development (R&D) center in Vikhroli, Mumbai. The facility would help the company enhance its efforts to bring new consumer-centric innovation by intelligent application and efficient technologies. The new center would undertake R&D in consumer applications and advanced technology enhancements like the internet of things, energy efficiency, and solution development.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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