India added 412 MW of wind power capacity in the third quarter (Q3) of the calendar year 2023, representing a 53% year-over-year (YoY) dip, according to Mercom India Research. The installations were down 64% quarter-over-quarter from 1,139.9 MW. The decline resulted from leading wind energy states like Karnataka and Rajasthan failing to register any installations during the quarter. Notable wind projects commissioned during the quarter were Apraava Energy’s 107 MW project in Gujarat, JSW Energy’s 103 MW project in Tamil Nadu, Adani Green Energy’s 62 MW project, and Alfanar’s 55 MW project in Gujarat.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved a tariff of ₹2.54 (~$0.03)/kWh for a combined capacity of 334 MW from solar power projects of the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The Commission also approved a trading margin of ₹0.07 ($0.00084)/kWh. The Commission, however, rejected one of the respondents, Adani Green’s Change in Law request in response to SECI’s petition.

NTPC Renewable Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, has floated a tender for supplying and installing up to 370 wind turbine generators (WTG) for ISTS-connected wind power projects with a cumulative capacity of 1 GW. The last date for the submission of bids is December 4, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day. The project scope includes designing, engineering, manufacturing, supplying, erecting, installing, testing, and commissioning the WTGs with a rating of 2.7 MW or higher and a maximum rotor diameter of 156 meters.

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam has invited bids to purchase power from 500 MW of grid-connected solar power projects (Phase XXII) to be set up anywhere in India, with a greenshoe option of an additional 500 MW. The last day to submit the bids is December 4, 2023. Bids will be opened on December 7. Bidders are required to submit ₹300,000 (~$3,603) as a bid processing fee. They must submit an earnest money deposit ₹928,000 (~$11,146)/MW of the quoted capacity.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has invited bids to commission various solar projects of 1.5 MW cumulative capacity in Gujarat along with comprehensive operation and maintenance of 25 years. The projects include: 950 kW of rooftop solar installations on water tanks; 450 kW of rooftop or ground-mounted solar projects at sewage treatment plants and pathways; and ten units of 10 kW solar trees at the VMC’s gardens. The estimated cost of the entire work is ₹133.4 million (~$1.6 million).

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) under the Ministry of Power and Energy, Sri Lanka, has issued an Expression of Interest for constructing two 100 MW floating solar power projects on the Samanalawewa reservoir in the Ratnapura district. The last date for the submission of proposals is December 13, 2023. The project scope involves constructing two 100 MW floating solar power projects and transmission facilities up to the interconnection point to the national grid. The power purchase agreement with CEB will span 20 years with early system connection, and each bidder will be limited to one 100 MW proposal.

Electric vehicle (EV) company Euler Motors has raised ₹1.2 billion (~$14.41 million) in an ongoing series-C extension round, taking the tally of total investments to about ₹6.9 billion (~$82.87 million). The raised capital will be used to fund the company’s plans to enter the EV market across 40 cities by the end of this financial year. The fund will aid the company’s quest to facilitate the adoption of EVs in the country by enabling its service and charging network nationwide.

Norway-based independent power producer Scatec reported a net profit of NOK95 million (~$8.5 million) in Q3 of 2023, a decrease of 72% YoY from NOK335 million (~$30 million). The decline in net profit can be attributed to the significant increase in operating expenses, which rose by NOK55 million (~$4.9 million) to reach NOK250 million (~$22.4 million) compared to the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

Module manufacturer Solar N Plus has launched its advanced N-type TOPCon solar cell and module manufacturing facility in Chuzhou, Anhui province, China. The facility has a solar cell capacity of 5 GW and a module capacity of 1 GW. The plant started construction in December 2022 and is now fully operational. Solar N Plus said it plans to utilize its expertise in automated and digital manufacturing to ensure the reliability and performance of its products as production scales up.

According to the latest International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook, manufacturing capacity for solar modules is rapidly growing and has the potential to surpass 1,200 GW per year by the end of this decade. The report points out the potential emergence of a new clean energy economy driven by solar technology and EVs. It notes that the investment in clean energy has experienced a 40% surge since 2020.

Researchers at Hong Kong’s City University have developed a method to enhance the thermal robustness of perovskite solar cells, making this a significant step in their evolution and application. While perovskite solar cells are known for their impressive power conversion efficiency,  they lack thermal stability, which means they do not perform well when exposed to high temperatures. This emerges as a challenge because the primary application of these cells is in solar energy technologies.