SECI

Developers from France and Germany and investors with access to cheap U.S. and U.K. finance were among the winners in a 2 GW procurement round which saw Spanish company Solarpack lodge a record-low price for Indian solar power of $0.031/kWh.

Almost 10 GW of hybrid generation capacity is already under implementation despite the nation having only 100 MW of combined wind and PV projects at present, according to analyst Crisil.

Adani Green Energy is reported to have exercised an option to double the 4 GW of solar generation capacity and 1 GW of cell and module production facilities it secured in a manufacturing-linked solar tender carried out by the Solar Energy Corporation of India in November.

Plus, Australia’s Greens want renewables front and center of the post Covid-19 economy and Mexican plant owners are overturning a politically-motivated ban on clean energy, however, Indian developer Acme solar says pandemic delays warrant it reneging on the terms of the record-low solar price agreement it signed.

Winning developer Renew Power can opt for solar, wind or hybrid plants along with energy storage systems to ensure round-the-clock power supply.

Lobby group the National Solar Energy Federation of India has welcomed the move and asked the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to extend any such measures to existing contracts to help developers meet working capital requirements.

Pumped hydro and battery projects, coupled with renewables, offer the world’s lowest peak clean electricity tariff. The tender, which received bids for for 1.62 GW of capacity against the 1.2 GW sought, saw Greenko secure 900 MW of pumped storage capacity and Renew Power 300 MW of battery storage.

Bidders can pitch for up to 300 MW of generation capacity per project with the deadline for proposals on February 4. The eighth tranche of inter-state transmission system program capacity offered by the Solar Energy Corporation of India comes with an energy price ceiling of $0.039/kWh.

By this time next year we may be able to wave goodbye to that old chestnut about renewables endangering security of supply. Elsewhere, the price of lithium – and the products it goes into – could go either way after tanking this year.

The NYSE-listed developer must establish a total 500 MW of annual cell and module manufacturing capacity as part of the deal and has agreed with an Indian panel producer to jointly develop the production lines with Azure holding a majority stake in the enterprise. The developer has an option to double up to 4 GW of project capacity within the next four days.