Largest solar tree in the world in Ludhiana: Indian city of Ludhiana in Punjab has earned the mantle of being a host to what's officially the world's largest solar tree, certified by the Guinness World Records (GWR). Developed by the CSIR Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), the project is installed at the Centre of Excellence for Farm Machinery with a total capacity of 53.6 kW. Total solar PV panel surface it covers is 309.83 sq. mtr. which surpasses the previous record of 67 sq. mtr., according to CSIR-CMERI. This capacity is designed to generated 160 to 200 kWh per day. The institute's Director, Prof. (Dr.) Harish Hirani explained that these solar trees have wide applications such as distributed power generation to cater the needs of different integrated faming activities of charging e- tractors, e-power tillers & EV charging station, running agriculture pumps for irrigation needs, solar based cooking system for food preparation needs at the farm site, powering the cold storage needs of the farm produce thereby increasing the shelf life.
Andhra High Court rules in favor of RE generators: In a relief to renewable energy generators and setting a precedent, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh (AP) has ruled that existing renewable energy contracts cannot be renegotiated and directed the state to clear dues to them in next 6 weeks. Local media reporting on the judgement said renewable energy has a must-run status and hence its production cannot be curtailed. For the background, Chief Minister Jagan Reddy government had objected to the tariffs for solar and wind projects awarded via competitive auctions under the previous state government. The court has now ruled in favor of renewable energy generators.
India installed 1.2 GW open access solar in 2021: Mercom India Research's Solar Open Access Market Report Q4 & Annual 2021 says the country installed 1.2 GW capacity in this segment in CY 2021, led by Uttar Pradesh, and followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Top 5 states accounted for 80% of total installations last year. Cumulative open access solar capacity at the end of 2021 exceeded 5 GW. Mercom counts development pipeline of such projects as 1.5 GW at 2021-end with 75% located in the states of Karnataka, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
GUVNL's 500 MW phase XIII solar auction concluded: The Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) has attracted INR 2.29 ($0.029) per kWh as the winning bid in its 500 MW phase XIII solar power procurement auction. For the same winning bid, SJVN won 100 MW, Fortum Power 200 MW and UPC Renewables 80 MW, according to Mercom India Research, and Hinduja Renewables secured 120 MW under bucket filling method for the same tariff. The tender was floated by GUVNL in January 2022.
INR 5 billion working capital sought by SECI: The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has sought quotations from banks for non-fund based short-term working capital credit facility worth INR 5 billion ($65 million) for 1 year. There will be an option to renew it for another year. SECI said it presently pays an average monthly payment to renewable energy developers in the range of close to INR 5.7 to INR 6.4 billion ($74 to $84 million). With new projects being commissioned, these are likely to increase further. It is also expecting the equity infusion of INR 10 billion by the Government of India to come in soon. The request for proposals (RFP) from various banks in this regard can be sent by latest by March 31, 2022.