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

Renewable energy company ReNew Power has commissioned a 105 MW project in Gujarat’s Patan district. The project has a 25-year power purchase agreement with the state distribution licensee Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam at a tariff of ₹2.68/kWh (~$0.036/kWh). ReNew has deployed advanced mono perc solar modules with seasonal tilt structure design to ensure greater generation efficiency and maximum utilization of assets. The project takes ReNew’s total operational solar capacity in Gujarat to 145 MW and total aggregate solar capacity to 4.7 GW across India.

National Grid Renewables has announced signing three solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the Noble Project under construction in Texas. The Noble project consists of 275 MW of solar and 125 MWh of battery storage. The Home Depot and NRG have each executed individual 100 MW solar PPAs, while The Hershey Company has contracted for a 50 MW solar PPA.

Visaka Industries Limited has been granted a patent for its product ATUM solar roof by the South African Patent Office. Valid for 20 years, the patent has been granted for the invention titled “Eco-Friendly Energy Generating Roofs“. The patent paves the way for the introduction of ATUM in South Africa and other African countries. ATUM secured the prestigious UL Certification as per International Electrotechnical Commission standards. ATUM does not need any roof underlay like many conventional solar tiles available in the market; it is a standalone roof.

Solar manufacturer Gautam Solar increased its module manufacturing capacity from 120 MW to 250 MW at its facility in Haridwar. The company aims to increase the production capacities at other facilities as well. The firm attributed the move to the government’s decision to make India a solar manufacturing hub and reduce its dependency on other countries for importing solar equipment.

Tesla delivered a record 184,800 electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2021. The figure is close to a 109% year-on-year increase from 2019’s first-quarter figures and the largest quarterly deliveries recorded by Tesla. Tesla also produced a record number of electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2021 with 180,338. Production only rose by .3% quarter-on-quarter but increased by a staggering 76% year-on-year. Sales of Tesla electric vehicles were primarily driven by two new models, the Model 3 and the Model Y, which saw sales increase significantly.

Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp and Gogoro announced a strategic partnership to speed up the shift to sustainable electric mobility in India. The companies will establish a battery swapping joint venture to bring Gogoro’s industry-leading battery swapping platform to India and collaborate on electric vehicle development to bring Hero-branded, powered by Gogoro Network vehicles, to the market.