Renewables

Market trends suggest battery energy storage systems (BESS) will likely operate 1.5 cycles per day, bringing the effective storage cost down to just INR 2.8/kWh (0.031/kWh), the Ministry said on Monday.

The battery is rated at a nominal 48 V and 314 Ah, with an ingress protection level of IP20.

Germany has connected the world’s first supercapacitor-based STATCOM to the grid, with Siemens Energy and transmission system operator TenneT positioning it as a blueprint to replace fossil-fuel generators in providing instantaneous reserve and reactive power.

The French government says PV swept its latest technology-neutral auction, with 36 projects totaling 507.7 MW awarded in the fourth round as prices fell and agrivoltaics gained ground.

Researchers at MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in India have developed a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) system that enables hydrogen to be transported in a stable liquid form. The system is non-flammable, non-explosive, and can be handled at normal temperatures and pressures.

A group of scientists has simulated fixed vertical, interspace and overhead single-axis as well as overhead dual-axis agrivoltaic systems for 30 years and has found interspace single-axis system emerged as the most environmentally favorable configuration in Europe.

This week Women in Solar+ Europe gives voice to Gemma Buckley, Chief Legal Officer at UK-based Solarport. She says that one of the most persistent barriers wome are witnessing is how they are socialised. “Research shows men apply for promotion or a new role when they’re 60% qualified; women wait until they’re 100% qualified. I’ve watched this play out throughout my career,” she states.

The procurement exercise, the second solar auction under Italy’s Fer X incentive scheme and first to exclude the use of Chinese solar modules, cells and inverters for projects above 1 MW in size, concluded with a final average price of €0.06637/kWh.

Low-cost renewables provide an opportunity for tropical islands to drive a sustainable, secure and self-sufficient economy. Solar PV emerges as the bulk energy provider, driven by excellent resource conditions and fast-improving economic attractiveness. The anticipated momentum of solar PV in tropical islands can best be characterised as a Solar-to-X Economy.

In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that November brought above-average solar conditions in northern India and Pakistan, while southeastern India and Sri Lanka faced reduced solar output due to Cyclone Ditwah’s storms and heavy cloud cover. Despite southern disruptions, India’s renewable energy share rose, driven by strong solar generation in the north and overall growth in renewable capacity.