India

A research team in India developed a passive solar-panel cooling method using a thin, still layer of seawater placed over the module surface. Tests showed that while a thick water layer sharply reduced energy output, a thin 5 mm layer lowered module temperatures and increased daily energy generation by up to 8.86%.

India added 6.1 GW of open-access solar capacity in the first nine months of 2025, a 13% increase from the same period in 2024, according to the Mercom India Solar Open Access Market Report.

NTPC has developed a standalone solar microgrid system that uses hydrogen as the storage medium to deliver 200 kW of round-the-clock power throughout the year. Designed to replace diesel gensets at off-grid Army locations, the system provides a reliable and sustainable power supply even in harsh winter conditions, where temperatures can drop to –40 C at an altitude of 4,500 meters.

JMK Research expects India to install 41.5 GW of solar capacity in fiscal 2026, including 32 GW from utility-scale projects, 8 GW from rooftop systems and 1.5 GW from off-grid installations.

A research team in India has investigated the use of highly conductive transparent electrodes based on amorphous indium zinc made with a room temperature process in perovskite solar cells. The devices could be used in tandem and building-integrated PV applications.

Vikram Solar says its new 5 GW Vallam facility in Tamil Nadu lifts its module manufacturing capacity to 9.5 GW and is built on tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) technology with future heterojunction upgrades.

India installed 4.9 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the first nine months of 2025, including 2.1 GW in the third quarter, with cumulative capacity reaching 18.6 GW, according to Mercom India.

Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (RRVUNL) has concluded its tender for a 500 MW/2,000 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) at a price of INR 285,000 ($3,195)/MW per month, the nation’s lowest to date for a four-hour, single-cycle system.

NLC India Ltd. says it has issued a tender for contractors to secure and develop 1,850 acres across multiple states for a solar power project connected to India’s inter-state transmission system (ISTS) on behalf of NLC India Renewables Ltd (NIRL).

Railway Energy Management Co. Ltd. (REMCL) has awarded 1 GW of round-the-clock renewable energy capacity at INR 4.35 ($0.049)/kWh, with six developers securing allocations that will supply firm clean power directly to Indian Railways.