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Daily News Wrap-Up: APTEL Criticizes MERC for Denying Petitioner Relief

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					</table><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ireda-loan-approvals-disbursements-record-high-fy-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Government-owned lender Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency approved loans amounting to ₹373.54 billion (~$4.48 billion) and disbursed ₹250.89 billion (~$3.01 billion) in loans during the financial year (FY) 2023-24.</a> The approved and disbursed amounts were the highest-ever annual figures recorded by the lender. The loan approvals were up 14.63% year-over-year (YoY) from ₹325.87 billion (~$3.91 billion), and the disbursements increased by 15.94% from ₹216.39 billion (~$2.59 billion) at the end of FY 2022-23.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ioc-captive-solar-haryana/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Oil Corporation has issued a tender for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 1 MW grid-connected open access captive solar power project at its Northern Region Pipelines in Kurukshetra, Haryana.</a> In addition to commissioning the project, the contract will encompass one year of complete operation and maintenance services following construction and an additional nine years of extended operation and maintenance support. The last date for bid submission is April 29, 2024, and the bid opening is scheduled for the next day.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/eastern-railway-1-mw-rooftop-solar-asansol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Asansol Division of Eastern Railway in West Bengal has invited bids from solar developers to install 1 MW grid-connected rooftop solar projects on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis.</a> The last date to submit the bids is April 18, 2024. Bids open on the same day. The scope of work includes designing, building, financing, operating, and long–term maintenance and transfer of roof-mounted solar projects at selected locations of Eastern Railways.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/indigrids-first-greenfield-renewable-energy-in-maharashtra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Power sector infrastructure investment trust IndiGrid has operationalized its first greenfield project, Kallam Transmission, in Beed, Maharashtra. </a> The project will evacuate 1 GW of power from renewable energy projects in the state’s Dharashiv area. The project consists of one substation of 2 x 500 MVA capacity with 400/220 kV voltage and ten bays with a line-in line-out circuit line of 18 kilometers. Developed on a build-own-operate-maintain basis for 35 years, the project received approval for energization in February this year.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cerc-approves-tariff-for-at-%E2%82%B92-90-and-%E2%82%B92-95-kwh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved a tariff of ₹2.90 (~$0.034)/kWh [100 MW] and ₹2.95 (~$0.035)/kWh [500 MW] plus a trading margin of ₹0.07 (~$0.0008)/kWh</a> for SECI’s 600 MW wind power projects (Tranche-XIII). The projects will be connected to the interstate transmission system and project developers were selected through a competitive bidding process.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/china-us-wto-ira-subsidies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China has formally petitioned the World Trade Organization (WTO) for dispute consultations with the U.S. regarding certain tax credits under the country’s Inflation Reduction Act</a> (IRA) to promote the production of electric vehicles and renewable energy projects. The request was circulated to WTO members last week, and China has contended that U.S. tax credits are contingent on the use of domestic over imported goods or discrimination against goods of Chinese origin. This, it has argued, violates the provisions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures, and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-rel-tenders-solar-project-in-rajasthan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC Renewable Energy has invited bids for the balance of the system package (excluding land and transmission system) of a 500 MW state transmission utility-connected solar</a> power project in Bhadla, Rajasthan. The last date for submitting bids is May 1, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day. The scope of the work includes design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, testing, and commissioning of a solar photovoltaic project.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/australia-to-launch-domestic-solar-manufacturing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has unveiled a significant initiative with AUD$1 billion (~$651.2 million) investment aimed at enhancing domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing.</a> The initiative, known as the Solar Sunshot program and introduced by the Australian Government, is poised to boost the country’s solar manufacturing landscape by stimulating growth and providing a clear pathway for commercialization. ARENA is set to lead the implementation of the Solar Sunshot program by collaborating closely with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/australian-scientists-printed-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A team of scientists from CSIRO, the Australian National Science Agency, have reported a new record efficiency in roll-to-roll fully printed solar cells.</a> In a paper published in Nature Communications journal, the team demonstrated performances for solar cells of 15.5% efficiency on a small scale and 11% for a 50 cm2 module, a record for fully printed solar cells containing perovskite. While silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, printed solar cells are highly flexible and portable and have a wide range of applications ranging from urban construction, mining operations, emergency management, disaster relief, and space to defense and personal electronics.

Daily News Wrap-Up: IREDA Approves Loans of ₹373.54 Billion in FY24

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					</table>A team of scientists from <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSIRO</a>, the Australian National Science Agency, have reported a new record efficiency in roll-to-roll fully printed solar cells.
In a paper published in Nature Communications journal, the team demonstrated performances for solar cells of 15.5% efficiency on a small scale and 11% for a 50 cm2 module, a record for fully printed solar cells containing perovskite.
While silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, printed solar cells are highly flexible and portable and have a wide range of applications ranging from urban construction, mining operations, emergency management, disaster relief, and space to defense and personal electronics.
The flexible solar cells were produced using a method in which all components of the device were fully printed from inks. Carbon-based inks were used to replace gold in the solar cell, dramatically reducing the cost while maintaining high performance.
The solar cells were printed using roll-to-roll techniques, which can be used to print solar cells on a long, continuous roll of plastic.
This lightweight and flexible solar technology, printed onto thin plastic films, is expected to expand solar cell usage and meet the growing demand for renewable energy.
&#8220;CSIRO&#8217;s thin and lightweight solar cells are now on the cusp of emerging from the lab to create clean energy in the real world. Roll-to-roll printing allows for the solar cells to be manufactured on very long, continuous rolls of plastic, which can dramatically increase the rate of production,&#8221; said the agency&#8217;s Renewable Energy Systems Group Leader Anthony Chesman.
The team, which collaborated with researchers from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Cambridge</a>, <a href="https://www.monash.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a>, the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Sydney</a>, and the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of New South Wales</a>, solved several engineering problems across a large surface area of interconnected modules to achieve record results.
&#8220;We developed a system for rapidly producing and testing over ten thousand solar cells a day – something that would have been impossible to do manually. We&#8217;ve also alleviated the need to use expensive metals, such as gold, in their production by using specialized carbon inks, which further reduces production costs,&#8221; stated Principal Research Scientist Doojin Vak.
Incorporating an advanced material called perovskite, CSIRO&#8217;s printed solar panels differ from the silicon solar panels found on Australian roofs. &#8220;Our thin, lightweight solar can be easily transported anywhere there is sun,&#8221; he said.
The team also sent the solar panels to space to test their performance, to further optimize and provide a reliable energy source for future space endeavors.
Recently, scientists from the National University of Singapore <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/record-efficiency-tandem-solar-cell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a record energy conversion efficiency of 27.1% from a novel triple-junction solar cell, which promises to overcome current limitations in solar technology.
Earlier this year, researchers also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bulky-molecules-perovskite-solar-last-longer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that adding bulky molecules can make perovskite solar cells last longer, surpassing silicon solar cells&#8217; maximum theoretical efficiency.

Australian Scientists Report Record 15.5% Efficiency for Printed Solar Cells

Researchers from the <a href="https://excitonscience.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science</a> recently demonstrated power conversion efficiencies of 15.5% and 4.1% in solar glass, with varying prototype semiconductor solar cells made of perovskite materials, with a visible transmittance percentage of 20.7% and 52.4%, respectively.
The work was funded through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (<a href="https://arena.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARENA</a>) and published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21983844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Advanced Science</a>. The research focuses on the possibilities of deploying solar in windows for high-rise structures and skyscrapers to explore the scope of more visible light that can pass through such solar windows.
Achieving 10% visible light penetration
Researchers from <a href="https://www.monash.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victoria’s Monash University</a> and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (<a href="https://www.csiro.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CSIRO</a>) created a solar window prototype in 2020. The prototype was equipped with solar cells made from perovskite materials allowing 10% of visible light penetration and passage. The experts from the Australian institutes, who are also members of the ARC Centre, achieved a conversion efficiency of 17%.
However, the research in 2020 concluded the conversion efficiency achieved was close to 20% of the conventional silicon solar cells used in rooftop solar systems. The study observed that silicon solar cells are not transparent, making them unfit to be deployed in windows.
Role of cesium and formamidinium 
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Picture1-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-36366" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Picture1-2.png" alt="" width="514" height="356" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Picture1-2.png 514w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Picture1-2-300x208.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px" /></a>
The researchers intended to increase the amount of light passing through the materials used in the solar cells. The teams from the two institutes discovered a combination of cesium and formamidinium, which was introduced into the perovskite composition. The perovskite solar cells achieved improved performance over varying band gaps with the element mix.
The cesium and formamidinium mixed perovskites improve thermal stability compared with methylammonium counterparts. But there is a certain level of photo instability induced by iodide mitigation and phase segregation. Combining these two elements achieves slightly excessive AX— where A is cesium or formamidinium, and X is iodine.
A band gap is the minimum energy in solar cells that is harnessed for generating/ delivering power from sunlight. In the current research, perovskite solar cells with element mix showed excellent long-term stability under continued heating and illumination.
Project leader Jacek Jasieniak from the Department of Materials Science &amp; Engineering at Monash University said, “This work provides a major step towards realizing high efficiency and stable perovskite devices that can be deployed as solar windows to fulfill what is a largely untapped market opportunity.”
Perovskite solar cells are currently the next breakthrough for the global photovoltaic industry. Material experts from various institutes are performing extensive studies to achieve improved light transparency and power conversion efficiency in solar cells.
A team of researchers from Dartmouth Engineering in New Hampshire also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/engineers-develop-rapid-printing-method/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a rapid printing method to better the sunlight-to-electricity conversion. The researchers claimed to have accelerated the total processing time of the solar charge transport layer by 60 times using the new printing method without compromising reliability. The technique paired high-speed flexographic printing with rapidly annealed sol-gel inks to produce solid materials from small molecules.
Researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/perovskites-pass-heat-test/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">performed</a> the first-ever damp-heat test of perovskite solar cells. The experiment was performed under a controlled environment with humidity of 85% and a temperature of 85 degrees Celsius. It was ideal for replicating the outdoor test conditions to evaluate factors such as corrosion and delamination.

Researchers Claim Higher Conversion Efficiencies in Perovskite-Based Solar Glass

Researchers at <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian National University</a> claim to have produced a more efficient type of solar cell using laser processing. The cell produced is supposedly a true bifacial solar cell with a nearly symmetrical power generation capacity on both surfaces of the device.
The research team claims to have set a new world record in the process by achieving a power output of approximately 29%, exceeding the performance of single-sided silicon solar cells. Laser-doping allowed the research team to achieve a front conversion efficiency of 24.3% and a rear conversion efficiency of 23.4%, representing a bifacial factor of 96.3%.
<a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization</a> has independently verified the results.
Principal Investigator Dr. Kean Chern Fong said the so-called bifacial solar cells easily beat the performance of single-sided silicon solar cells.
&#8220;We have developed what I would call a true bifacial solar cell, as it has nearly symmetrical power generation capacity on both surfaces of the device,&#8221; Dr. Fong said.
&#8220;When deployed on a conventional solar farm, a bifacial cell absorbs direct incoming light while also taking advantage of ground reflection, which can contribute up to an additional 30% power generation. Bifacial solar cells are becoming increasingly important in the roll-out of solar farms and are expected to have a market share of over 50 percent in the next five years. Our work demonstrates the incredible capabilities of this technology,&#8221; he said.
The team used specific laser doping technology to fabricate the cells.
&#8220;Laser-doping uses lasers to increase electrical conductivity locally,&#8221; said Chief Investigator Dr. Marco Ernst. &#8220;It is a low-cost, industry-compatible process for boosting solar cell efficiency.&#8221;
This performance represents an effective power output of approximately 29%, well exceeding the performance of the best single-sided silicon solar cell.
&#8220;This is a world record for selectively laser-doped solar cells and among the highest efficiency bifacial solar cells,&#8221; Dr. Ernst said.
The Australian Government has supported this work through the <a href="https://arena.gov.au/projects/australian-centre-for-advanced-photovoltaics-acap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics</a>.
Earlier, Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin <a href="https://mercomindia.com/bifacial-solar-modules-could-reduce-lcoe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that they had developed an illumination model for deploying bifacial solar modules for large-scale solar projects, decreasing the levelized cost of electricity for large-scale solar projects.
In July 2020, researchers at the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tracking-bifacial-solar-modules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that bifacial solar modules that track the sun produced 35% more energy than regular modules and could help achieve some of the lowest levelized costs of electricity in the world.
Image credit: Eric Byler/Australian National University

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