Bridge to India

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and auctusESG say in a new report that scaling up financing for renewable energy assets such as solar minigrids depends on the combination of private and public capital in a risk-adjusted return structure.

After years of debate, the Indian government made domestic manufacturing a central feature of renewables policy in 2021. The pivot came as the government sought economic growth and self-sufficiency following a border conflict with China. Vinay Rustagi, managing director of Bridge to India, says that trade barriers, subsidies, lower taxes, and demand growth have created the perfect recipe for expansion.

Indian generators and distribution companies will evenly split the gains achieved by bundling cheaper renewable energy with high-cost thermal sources.

Singareni Collieries Company Ltd., a state-owned Indian coal miner, has opened bids from project management consultants for a 250 MWp (DC) floating solar power plant it is developing. It will make a selection through domestic competitive bidding, followed by a reverse auction.

Solar Energy Corp. of India has released draft guidelines for a tender to set up standalone battery energy storage systems in India.

Tata Power says it will use hybrid technologies, floating solar, battery storage, and green hydrogen to scale back its use of thermal power.

A new report shows that decentralized PV installations in some parts of India are poorly designed to cope with future climate risks. The researchers outline policy and design considerations for more resilient structures.

Bridge to India figures show dominance of Chinese inverters, which supplied almost 80% of installs from July last year to the end of June.

Plus, analyst WoodMac says a fall in the cost of power generation in Japan during the public health crisis will help drive renewables investment and the Indian government has relaxed borrowing rules for its financially crippled electric utilities.

The expected return would leave the nation woefully short of its ambitious 175 GW clean energy target, which was laid down with a 2022 deadline. Chief executives who criticized aggressive clean power auctions said they would like to see more fossil fuel facilities thrown into the mix.