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					</table><p>The Madhya Pradesh government has appointed Manu Srivastava, IAS, as the Additional Chief Secretary in the <a href="https://energy.mp.gov.in/en#:~:text=Energy%20Department%2C%20Government%20of%20Madhya%20Pradesh%20is%20concerned%20with%20power,power%20system%20in%20the%20state." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Power and Renewable Energy Department</a>.</p>
<p>Srivastava was earlier the principal secretary of the Technical Education, Skill Development, and Employment Department, and the Rural Industries Department.</p>
<p>Before these appointments, Srivastava served as the Principal Secretary of Madhya Pradesh&#8217;s New and Renewable Energy Department, overseeing key responsibilities. He was also the commissioner for the New &amp; Renewable Energy Department, the Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam, and the Chairperson of Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL).</p>
<p>Under Srivastava&#8217;s leadership, RUMSL played a critical role in the development of ultra-mega solar power projects, managing activities conventionally undertaken by central public sector undertakings (CPSU) at the state level.</p>
<p>One of his major accomplishments was the implementation of the 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project.</p>
<p>The Rewa project was then one of the largest single-site solar power projects in the world, spread over an area of 1,590 hectares. Compared to then prevailing solar project tariffs of ₹4.5 (~$0.054)/kWh with viability gap funding (VGF), the tariff of the Rewa project was a historic low at ₹2.97 (~$0.036)/kWh for the first year and a levelized rate of ₹3.3 (~$0.04)/kWh over 25 years. It is significant that this tariff was achieved without any VGF support.</p>
<p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had acknowledged that the primary reason for the low tariffs was the careful structuring of the project risk-sharing mechanism. A sound payment security mechanism backed by a state guarantee for timely payment to developers was a critical point for investors who were wary of power distribution companies delaying payment to developers by several months to even a year in many states. The other ground-breaking measure was the assured offtake of power and provision of deemed generation beyond 50 hours of back-down.</p>
<p>The project was undertaken by RUMSL, a state government organization, without the involvement of CPSUs.</p>
<p>RUMSL took charge of various activities, including conceptualization, market consultations, financial and legal structuring, and bid process management. It also undertook land development and associated infrastructure, international bidding processes, and negotiations with key stakeholders such as Delhi Metro and MPMCL for power purchase agreements.</p>
<p>The project received the World Bank Group’s President’s Award for innovation and excellence and was included in the Prime Minister’s “A Book of Innovation: New Beginnings.”</p>
<p>During Srivastava’s tenure, Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam <a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/l1-tariff-1-38-mp-solar-rooftop-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> a first-year tariff of ₹1.38 (~$0.017)/ kWh under the renewable energy service company mode for 8.6 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects.</p>
<p>The solar sector over the years has benefited from a dynamic leadership in the energy departments at the central and state levels.</p>


Manu Srivastava Takes on Key Role in Madhya Pradesh Energy Department


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					</table><p>Recent findings from a study by the U.S. Department of Energy&#8217;s (<a href="https://www.energy.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOE</a>) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (<a href="https://www.nrel.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NREL</a>) emphasize the importance of subjecting perovskite solar cells to a combination of stress tests simultaneously to best predict their real-world functionality.</p>
<p>One of the key takeaways from the research is that outdoor conditions place considerable stress on solar cells, leading to efficiency losses and reduced power production over time.</p>
<p>Solar cells, including those based on perovskite materials, must endure a range of harsh environmental conditions, such as humidity, heat, and varying light levels.</p>
<p>To achieve the reliability required for commercialization, standardized testing protocols must be established to facilitate comparisons and validations among different research groups.</p>
<p>Traditionally, researchers have assessed the stability of perovskite solar cells by subjecting them to individual stress factors, such as exposure to light or low temperatures.</p>
<p>However, these stressors often interact simultaneously, which can significantly accelerate performance degradation or introduce new issues that were not apparent when testing each factor in isolation.</p>
<p>The NREL-led research team conducted a series of tests on perovskite solar cells to replicate real-world conditions more accurately. During operational stability testing, the cells retained over 93% of their maximum efficiency after approximately 5,030 hours of continuous operation.</p>
<p>Thermal cycling, involving temperature fluctuations between -40 and 85 degrees Celsius, showed an average degradation of about 5% after 1,000 cycles.</p>
<p>However, what sets this study apart is its focus on examining how different stressors interact.</p>
<p>It was found that when subjected to a combination of high temperature and illumination, perovskite solar cells experienced the most significant degradation.</p>
<p>This insight highlights the critical importance of considering multiple stress factors in tandem when assessing the outdoor performance of these promising solar technologies.</p>
<p>By identifying the most critical combination of stressors—high temperature and illumination—researchers are taking a vital step closer to harnessing the full potential of perovskite solar cells as a clean and efficient energy source.</p>
<p>Perovskite solar cells have emerged as promising contenders for clean and efficient renewable energy solutions.</p>
<p>However, before these advanced solar cells can find widespread commercial application, researchers must determine how well they will perform outdoors in unpredictable and demanding conditions.</p>
<p>&#8220;We must understand how well perovskite solar cells will perform outdoors, under real conditions, to move this technology closer to commercialization,&#8221; emphasized Kai Zhu, a senior scientist in the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center at NREL. &#8220;That&#8217;s why we identified accelerated testing protocols that can be conducted in the laboratory to reveal how these cells would function after six months in operation outside.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study led by Zhu, titled &#8220;Towards linking lab and field lifetimes of perovskite solar cells,&#8221; was recently published in the journal <em>Nature</em>.</p>
<p>Last month, researchers at NREL <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nrels-research-reveals-make-cheaper-solar-cells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> a study that reveals how sound waves could play a pivotal role in making solar cells more affordable for earth-bound applications.</p>
<p>In July, NREL <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-perovskite-solar-cells-93-bifaciality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> to achieve 91%-93% bifaciality on a newly developed bifacial perovskite solar cell.</p>


Combining Stress Tests Enhances Performance Prediction of Perovskite Solar Cells

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