Prices of solar modules imported from China are trending downward, worrying domestic manufacturers because they can’t compete if prices keep declining. Imported module prices went up after the imposition of basic customs duty in April 2022 but have decreased in recent months, with increased polysilicon production coming online and inventories building up in China. Chinese module average selling prices have dropped by almost 17% since the start of the financial year, nearly matching the prices offered by domestic manufacturers.

Central Electronics has invited bids for the operation and maintenance , including round-the-clock security services, for a 1 MW solar project at the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute’s Pilani Campus. The contract will be valid for five years with an option for a two-year extension. The last day to submit the bids is March 13, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day. Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹60,000 (~$724).

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has floated three tenders for constructing 77.6 MW (DC) of grid-connected solar projects across the country on a turnkey basis. The last date to submit the bids is April 2, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day. For all three tenders, BPDB has stated that if the project is not completed within the stipulated time, the contractor will have to pay 0.1% of the contract value for each day of delay as liquidated damages, subject to a maximum of 10% of the total contract value.

American Electric Power has agreed to sell 1,365 MW of its unregulated, contracted renewables portfolio to IRG Acquisition Holdings at an enterprise value of $1.5 billion, which includes the associated project debt. The portfolio being sold consists of 14 renewable energy projects spread across 11 states. Of the total capacity, 1.2 GW is from wind projects, while 165 MW is from solar projects. The electricity generated by these projects is contracted under long-term agreements with various utilities, corporations, and municipalities.

DIF Capital Partners, an independent infrastructure investment fund manager, and ib vogt, a utility-scale PV solar developer, has acquired 100% interest in a greenfield portfolio of ready-to-build co-located solar and battery projects from Enso Green Holding Limited (EGHL). Developed by EGHL — a joint venture between Cero Generation and Enso Energy — the UK-based portfolio consists of seven sites. It is the largest co-location project of solar and (battery) storage in the UK. The facility has a total capacity of 720 MW, of which 380 MW is earmarked for solar and 340 MW for battery storage.

An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells, which can be an essential step toward commercializing emerging photovoltaic technology and significantly reducing the cost. Perovskite solar cells are made from nano-sized crystals, unlike traditional solar cells built out from high-purity silicon wafers. These perovskite crystals can be dispersed into a liquid and spin-coated onto a surface using low-cost and well-established techniques.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $2.5 billion in funding for two carbon management programs to significantly mitigate the carbon emissions from power generation and hard-to-abate industrial operations. The first program, Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilots, will receive up to $820 million for up to 10 projects focused on derisking transformational carbon capture technologies. The program will help catalyze major investments for the commercial-scale demonstration of carbon emission sources across the industrial and power sectors of the country.