India currently has around 824,000 telecom towers and 2.98 million base transceiver stations, which collectively consume approximately 70 TWh/70,000 GWh of energy annually. This results in over 49 million tons of carbon emissions annually, underscoring the urgent need for the telecom sector to transition to renewable energy sources. The Digital Infrastructure Providers Association collaborates closely with government bodies to implement regulatory changes that support the telecom infrastructure. In an exclusive interview with Mercom India, Manoj Kumar Singh, Director General of the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association, discussed the power demand from the telecom industry, its efforts to shift to renewable energy, and the impediments to large-scale transitioning to renewables.

NTPC Green Energy invited bids for procuring 2,500 kW central inverters for a 140 MW solar power project in Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh. Bids must be submitted by April 8, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day. Selected bidders must furnish a contract performance guarantee of 10% of the total order value. They must procure TBEA’s model-TC2500KF central inverters which are fully compatible with the existing TBEA inverters installed at the Bilhaur solar project. They must be designed as direct replacements, requiring no modifications.

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam invited bids for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 6 MW (2×3 MW) ground-mounted solar power project for Cement Corporation of India at its Tandur factory in Telangana. The bid is open only to enlisted bidders who have already qualified based on their financial criteria eligibility. Bids must be submitted by April 24, 2025. Bids will be opened on the next day.

PFC Consulting invited bids to establish an interstate transmission system to evacuate 2,500 MW of renewable energy from the Morena Special Economic Zone in Madhya Pradesh. Bids must be submitted by June 9, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day. The scope of work entails establishing a 3×1500 MVA, 765/400 kV, and 2×500 MVA, 400/220 kV pooling substation, and 2×330 MVAr 765 kV and 2×125 MVAr 420 kV bus reactors.

U.S.-based solar tracker company FTC Solar reported revenue of $13.2 million in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, representing a 43.1% year-over-year (YoY) decline from $23.2 million. The company attributed the drop in revenue to low product volumes. The company’s net loss widened by 14.49% to $12.55 million from $10.96 million in the same period of the previous year. Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) loss decreased by 2.08% YoY to $9.84 million in Q4 2024 from an EBITDA loss of $10.05 million.

A team of researchers from the University of New South Wales and the Chinese solar module manufacturer LONGi found that the rear side of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells, particularly the silicon nitride layer, is prone to chemical degradation when exposed to sodium-based salts, resulting in a significant loss of open-circuit voltage. The research, titled “Mitigating contaminant-induced surface degradation in TOPCon solar cells: Mechanisms, impacts, and mitigation,” was published in Science Direct.