The Mukesh Ambani-led diversified business conglomerate has agreed to invest INR 5 lakh crore (US$67.6 billion) in building 100 GW of renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen eco-system in the state. It will also invest INR 60,000 crore (US$8.1 billion) in setting up manufacturing facilities for new and renewable energy equipment, including solar modules, electrolyzers, energy-storage batteries, and fuel cells.

The nation reached a cumulative 151GW of renewable energy generation capacity – including large hydro – by December 31, although a large volume of off-grid equipment is not included in that figure.

Indian ratings agency ICRA expects the solar boost based on the backlog of PV projects awarded by central and state electric utilities.

The second phase of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) scheme for the Intra-State Transmission System will facilitate grid integration and power evacuation of approximately 20 GW of renewable energy power projects in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

That meant the nation reached a cumulative 4.8GW of “open-access” solar generation capacity by the end of September. At that point, there were also more than 1.1GW of open access projects in the development pipeline, according to analyst Mercom India Solar.

The PV plant, in the Bikaner district of the state, is the largest PV power project in India owned and operated at a single location by a developer.

Nexcharge, a joint venture between Indian lead-acid storage specialist Exide Industries and Swiss lithium-ion battery manufacturer Leclanché, has fully automated assembly lines of li-ion battery packs, modules, and cell testing labs in Gujarat. Ketan Chitnis, VP of Nexcharge’s stationary storage business unit, tells pv magazine that the government’s production-linked incentive scheme is attracting investment.

Rooftop installations to the end of September were at their highest for a nine-month period. The nation’s cumulative rooftop PV generation capacity had reached 6.7 GW by that point.

NTPC Limited has selected California-headquartered Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer and hydrogen-powered fuel cell technologies for the nation’s first green hydrogen-based microgrid, which will be powered by a floating solar array.

The project was secured by Tata Power in an auction held by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).