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

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a new guideline stating that states can invite bids to empanel vendors for different regions to install standalone solar pumps under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) program. However, the price discovered in the latest centralized tender would be considered as the ceiling price. To give sufficient time to states for implementation, MNRE has decided to increase the implementation period to 24 months from the date of issue of approval for all three components of the KUSUM program. Extension beyond 24 months will be considered as per the program guidelines. The provision for incentivizing farmers who consume less electricity than the benchmark consumption will be an option as not all farmers may be willing to install necessary meters to avail incentives. The DISCOM will inform the farmers about the benchmark consumption and the amount of incentive per unit they can avail of in case of lower consumption.

NTPC has awarded a standalone fuel-cell-based microgrid with a hydrogen production program using electrolyzer in NTPC guest house at Simhadri. It is India’s first green hydrogen-based energy storage project. It would be a precursor to large-scale hydrogen energy storage projects and help study and deploy multiple microgrids in various off-grid and strategic locations.  The hydrogen would be produced using the advanced 240 kW solid oxide electrolyzer by taking input power from the nearby floating solar project. The hydrogen produced during sunshine hours would be stored at high pressure and electrified using a 50 kW solid oxide fuel cell. The system would work in standalone mode from 5 PM to 7 AM.

Power Finance Corporation (FFC) announced that Koppal-Narendra Transmission, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PFC Consulting, has been transferred to ReNew Transmission Ventures. The subsidiary of PFC established Koppal-Narendra Transmission to develop the evacuation of 2.5 GW power from renewable sources in the Koppal Wind Energy Zone in Karnataka. ReNew Transmission Ventures emerged as the successful bidder recently.

KPI Global Infrastructure has bagged orders from Gandhar Food Products, N. J. Texturisers, Sai Laxmi Tex, Shabnam Petrofils, and Vihita Chem for executing solar power projects of 5.084 MWdc capacity under the captive power producer segment. The company will install 251 kW at Gandhar Food Products, 139 kW at N. J. Texturisers, 2 MW at Sai Laxmi Tex, 1.809 MW at Shabnam Petrofils, and 885 kW at Vihita Chem. Earlier, the company had bagged a repeat order for executing a solar power project of 5.20 MWdc capacity from Devika Fibres.