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

The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has accredited Tata Power’s Smart Meter Testing and Calibration Laboratory in Mumbai.  Tata Power’s lab is equipped to test smart meters, including remote connect/disconnect, remote firmware upgradation, meter data communication, tamper event logging, and inter-laboratory comparison testing for smart meters. NABL is an autonomous body under the Quality Council of India. It gives accreditation to laboratories for their technical competence in testing and calibration. Test results from NABL accredited laboratories are acceptable globally and equivalent to accreditations received by MRA (Mutual Recognition Agreement) partners of International Laboratory Accreditation Corporation, Denmark.

Masdar City-based start-up Seramic Materials has developed a unique patented solution to recycle industrial solid waste into high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) products. The ReThink Seramic – Flora product is a technical ceramic that can store heat at temperatures up to 1250°C. This allows thermal energy storage from process heat in concentrated solar power or industrial waste heat recovery systems or from electricity in renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic, wind, or even excess grid electricity.

Public infrastructure finance company REC Limited and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asia plan to create an annual, data-based assessment of 79 distribution companies (DISCOMs). This is a move to improve consumer service delivery and ensure reliable electricity supply to consumers. The partnership will leverage existing data on DISCOMs’ services to diagnose trends and identify gaps in the quality of power supply. These datasets will be used to create a consumer service index that will rank companies based on dimensions of service delivery, supply hours, grievance redressal systems, billing details, and timelines. The annual ranking report of DISCOMs will be available to the public, creating pathways for greater accountability in the provision of electricity across states.

Clean mobility infrastructure company iSun has been selected for turnkey professional development and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services by Fusion Renewable. Projects encompass interconnect applications across three locations in Alabama, of 448 MWdc of solar production. Total EPC and renewable energy credits contracts could exceed $500 million. The project includes a $7 million development and professional services contract, which would commence immediately. The projects are expected to begin by 2022.

Idaho-based renewable energy company Clēnera and SRP announced a 20-year power purchase agreement between SRP and Clēnera’s affiliate, CO Bar Solar LLC. CO Bar Solar will be commercially operational in 2024. It will deliver between 440 and 480 MWdc of renewable energy to SRP customers. Once complete, CO Bar Solar will generate enough power to meet 80,000 homes’ needs while offsetting 1 billion pounds of CO2 emissions each year. The construction is expected to begin in 2023.