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					</table><p>A new program to install rooftop solar systems on 10 million households across India has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana initiative.</p>
<p>The program aims to reduce the electricity expenditure of poor and middle-class households while enabling India’s self-reliance in the field of energy, the Prime Minister said in a post on the microblogging site X.</p>
<p>Later, at a meeting, Modi said a national campaign would be launched to mobilize residential segment consumers to adopt rooftop solar in large numbers.</p>
<p>In the first nine months of 2023, India installed a cumulative rooftop solar capacity of 1.3 GW, which was a 12% year-over-year increase. Last year, in the third quarter alone, the country added 431 MW of rooftop capacity, which was 34.7% higher than the previous year. The installations also saw a quarter-over-quarter increase of 11.4% from 388 MW, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/product/rooftop-solar-market-report-q3-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Q3 2023 Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report.</a></p>
<p>India’s cumulative rooftop solar capacity stood at 10.1 GW at the end of the third quarter of 2023.</p>
<p>Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-discoms-application-process-rooftop-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simplified</a> the implementation and application process to accelerate the deployment of grid-connected rooftop solar.  At the technical feasibility stage, consumers will only be required to furnish any electricity bill from the last six months to the distribution companies.</p>
<p>The MNRE also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-hikes-cfa-rooftop-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> the benchmark Central Financial Assistance for rooftop solar systems under Phase II of the Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Program.</p>
<p>Public infrastructure company REC Limited has been <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/rec-limited-lead-national-rooftop-solar-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designated</a> as the overall implementing agency for the program, which aims to achieve 40 GW of rooftop solar capacity by March 2026.</p>
<p>Phase II of the program has a financial outlay of ₹118.14 billion (~$1.42 billion) for both the residential segment and distribution companies.</p>
<p>Recognizing the benefits of rooftop solar systems, many housing complexes across India are <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/residential-rooftop-solar-owners-go-green-and-save-big" target="_blank" rel="noopener">installing</a> rooftop solar panels.</p>


Modi Announces New Program to Install Rooftop Solar on 10 Million Homes


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					</table><p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/railways-695-mw-rtc-renewable-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>REMC Limited has invited bids to procure 695 MW of round-the-clock power from grid-connected renewable energy projects with or without storage to operate in tandem</strong></a> with existing 500 MW Ircon Renewable Power (IRPL) and 195 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL) solar projects. The proposed RTC power supply will include the existing supply from the IRPL and RUMSL solar projects. The selected project developer will only supply power for the time blocks where power is not available from these existing projects and fulfill the annual and time block availability. Bidders must submit separate bids for the two tandem projects.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/merc-directs-guarantees-developers-to-be-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company to release the performance bank guarantees of solar developers</strong></a> ACME Sikar Solar and ReNew Dinkar Urja upon the termination of their power purchase agreements (PPA), failing the power evacuation set up by the state entities. The Commission held that the inability of the transmission company to ensure power evacuation constituted a force majeure event under the PPAs. As the force majeure had continued beyond 180 days, it ruled that the solar developers had validly terminated the PPAs.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maharashtra-bids-procure-130-mw-solar-power" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MSEB Solar Agro Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maharashtra Electricity Board MSEB Holding Company, has invited bids to procure 130 MW solar power for feeder-level solarization</strong></a> under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan program. The projects will be developed under the state’s Mukhyamantri Saur Khushi Vahini program. The last date to submit the bids is February 27, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day. Bidders must pay a refundable processing fee of ₹2,500 (~$30.09) and a document fee of ₹25,000 (~$301).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-metro-rooftop-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has invited bids to install and commission 1 MW of rooftop solar power projects on stations and PAC depot of the Agra Metro Project</strong></a> under the renewable energy service company model. The selected installers must oversee the project’s comprehensive operation and maintenance for 25 years. The work must be completed within six months of receiving the letter of award. The project’s estimated cost is ₹35.8 million (~$431,368). The last day to submit the bids is February 20, 2024. Bids will be opened the next day.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/railway-1-mw-rooftop-solar-assam" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rangiya Division of Northeast Frontier Railway has invited bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement grid-connected rooftop solar power projects</strong></a> of a cumulative capacity of 1 MW at its carriage and wagon workshop in New Bongaigaon in Assam. The projects will be executed on a public-private partnership and a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis. The projects would be developed in two capacity ranges— (i) above 10 kW and up to 100 kW, and (ii) above 100 kW and up to 500 kW. Bidders can quote for one or both capacity categories.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mseb-subsidiary-floats-of-solar-power-under-kusum" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>MSEB Solar Agro Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maharashtra State Electricity Board MSEB Holding Company, has invited bids to procure 133 MW of solar power</strong></a> for feeder-level solarization under Component C of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan program, in Latur. The projects will be developed under Phase 2 of the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana program. The last day to submit the bids is February 27, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ev-logistics-evify-raises-1-3-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Gujarat-based electric-vehicle (EV) logistics startup EVIFY has raised $1.3 million in a pre-series A round to finance its operational expansion across Gujarat and product innovation.</strong></a> The funding was led by venture capital firms GVFL and Piper Serica Angel Fund and saw participation from existing investors We Founder Circle and IVY Growth and a few angel investors. The company aims to grow its existing fleet from 400 operational in Surat and Ahmedabad to 4,000 electric bikes by March 2025.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ayodhya-solar-initiatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>The temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is set to go green in a big way, with a 40 MW solar power project likely to become fully operational by March 2024</strong></a> and a string of other solar initiatives spearheaded by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department. The project is being developed by NTPC Green Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, on 165 acres of land. “We are ready to commission a 15 MW capacity now,” Ratan Singh, Project Head and Additional General Manager of NTPC Green Energy, told Mercom. The part commissioning will be done in the next few days.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/china-based-das-million-via-initial-public-offering" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>China-based photovoltaic module manufacturer DAS Solar plans to raise up to RMB 2.5 billion (~$350 million) by issuing up to 58,789,573 shares through an initial public offering</strong></a> at RMB 1 (~$0.140) per share. The proportion of total equity after the offering is not expected to be less than 10%. According to the released prospectus accepted by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, DAS Solar is set to invest approximately RMB 5.813 billion ($811.18 million) in proposed projects. The cornerstone of these initiatives involves the construction of a 14 GW N-type TOPCon high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cell manufacturing facility.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-enhance-aqueous-zinc-batteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Researchers at the University of New South Wales and the National University of Singapore have developed a scalable solution to overcome the rechargeability challenges</strong></a> of aqueous rechargeable zinc battery technology. The new method is expected to solve a significant problem with the aqueous rechargeable zinc battery technology, which is the ability to recharge, which has so far proven to be limited due to the amount of corrosion suffered by the battery’s zinc metal electrode.</p>


Daily News Wrap-Up: Railways’ Tender to Procure 695 MW RTC Renewable Power


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					</table><p>The temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is set to go green in a big way, with a 40 MW solar power project likely to become fully operational by March 2024 and a string of other solar initiatives spearheaded by the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department (<a href="https://upneda.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPNEDA</a>).</p>
<p>The project is being developed by NTPC Green Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of <a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC</a>, on 165 acres of land. “We are ready to commission a 15 MW capacity now,” Ratan Singh, Project Head and Additonal General Manager, NTPC Green Energy, told Mercom. The part commissioning will be done in the next few days.</p>
<p>The project is part of various initiatives planned under the Solar City Program. <a href="https://www.jakson.com/green-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jakson Green</a> has won the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the 40 MW project.</p>
<p>A total of 104,580 solar panels are being installed in the project. Singh said the modules were supplied by Jakson Group, and the inverters were supplied by <a href="https://www.fimer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIMER India</a>.</p>
<p>Touted as Uttar Pradesh’s first Solar City, Ayodhya will also see the installation of 470 solar streetlights over a 10.2 km stretch. Some 200 such lights have already been installed, a UPNEDA official told Mercom India.</p>
<p>Ayodhya is among 24 towns and cities <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-ministry-provides-cities-developed-solar-cities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> by the Union government to be developed as solar cities.</p>
<p>The Uttar Pradesh government said in its solar policy 2022 that the state aims to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/daily-wrap-up-uttar-pradesh-22-gw-solar-fy27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieve</a> an installed solar capacity of 22 GW by 2026-27.</p>
<p>The solar initiatives include a 250 kW rooftop solar project, which has already been installed at the Ayodhya airport, a 50 kW solar project set up at a cow shelter, and solar-powered mobile phone charging points and drinking water kiosks.</p>
<p>The rooftop solar system at the airport was installed by <a href="https://www.jakson-green.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jakson Group</a>.</p>
<p>A Jakson Group spokesperson said the company had outfitted the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport at Ayodhya with a state-of-the-art 250 kW rooftop solar system which will be fully operational from February 1, 2024.</p>
<p>As part of the Solar City program, a total rooftop solar capacity of 1.07 MW has already been installed on residential, commercial, and industrial buildings in Ayodhya.</p>
<p>Solar trees of 1 kW and 2.5 kW capacity are being installed at 52 locations, including public parks in Ayodhya.</p>
<p>An official of UPNEDA said the solar trees have already come up at 42 sites so far, and the rest will be in place well before January 22, when a temple to Hindu God Rama is being consecrated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event.</p>


Temple Town of Ayodhya Goes Green with a Slew of Solar Initiatives

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