The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) ruled in favor of amending the RERC (Grid Interactive Distributed Renewable Energy Generating Systems) Regulations, 2021, to promote rooftop solar installations. The Commission has waived the application fee, security deposit, and meter testing charges for domestic consumers opting for rooftop solar systems. Additionally, the connection agreement requirement has been removed.

India’s National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) forecast that energy shortages will be more pronounced from April to October with the most significant shortages to be recorded in May. The unmet demand during the non-solar hours could exceed 15 GW between April and September. The Loss of Load Probability (LOLP) during the year will likely be 5.8%, and the Normalized Energy Not Served (NENS), 0.17% in the best-case scenario. In the median scenario (the most likely scenario), the LOLP is 12.1%, and the NENS is 0.37%, according to the NLDC report published by the Grid Controller of India.

The Madhya Pradesh government issued guidelines for implementing pumped storage projects with incentives announced under the state’s renewable energy policy. The state’s ‘Scheme for Implementation of Pumped Hydro Storage Project in Madhya Pradesh’ will be implemented in tandem with its renewable energy policy issued in 2022. The policy will be valid for 10 years.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission approved the Solar Energy Corporation of India’s petition to adopt tariffs for 630 MW of firm and dispatchable renewable energy from interstate transmission system-connected projects. The approved tariff ranges between ₹4.98 (~$0.057)/kWh and ₹4.99 (~$0.06)/kWh.

The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Commission released the draft framework for resource adequacy to enable electricity capacity additions to meet the projected demand through a judicious mix of energy contracts at the least cost. The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (Framework for Resource Adequacy) Regulations, 2025 apply to the generating companies, distribution licensees, the state load dispatch center, the state transmission utilities, and other grid-connected entities and stakeholders in the state.

Bridge and Roof Company, a government of India enterprise, invited bids to select an agency for topographical survey, soil investigation reports, preparation of detailed progress report, and initial layouts for a 100 MW solar project for SJVN Green Energy. Bids must be submitted by March 11, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day. The work must be completed in three months from the date of issuance of the letter of intent or work order, whichever is earlier.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation signed a shareholders’ agreement with Osaka Gas to invest in a joint venture (JV) between the Japanese gas company and Mumbai-based Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions. The JV — Clean Max Osaka Gas Renewable Energy — will develop 400 MW of renewable energy projects, starting with ~300 MW in Karnataka in the first phase, offering corporations reliable clean energy through long-term corporate power purchase agreements.

In 2024, electric car sales worldwide surged by 25%, reaching 17 million units, pushing annual battery demand beyond the 1 TWh mark for the first time, according to the International Energy Agency. At the same time, the cost of electric vehicle battery packs dropped below $100/kWh, making electric cars increasingly cost-competitive with traditional combustion-engine vehicles.

U.S.-based material sciences company Corning, crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturer Suniva, and solar module producer Heliene partnered to establish the first fully U.S.-made solar module supply chain. The collaboration aims to provide the U.S. market with solar modules made using locally manufactured polysilicon, wafers, and solar cells. Corning holds a majority stake in the chemical processing facility Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC). It targets manufacturing wafers in Michigan and supplying HSC’s hyper-pure polysilicon. Suniva aims to produce solar cells in Georgia, and Heliene targets integrating the components to deliver the final solar modules.