Centre proposes group net metering to boost rooftop solar in villages

The Indian government proposed a scheme to set up virtual net metering and group net metering in villages to promote rooftop solar. The government said rooftop panels are prevalent in urban areas compared to rural areas because houses in villages cannot bear the weight of the panels. To take care this issue, the government proposed that instead of individual installations, village households can aggregate and set up group installations at one place. This will reduce transmission and distribution losses and improve power supply in villages. 

The government requested electricity regulatory commissions to issue guidelines and notifications across India on virtual and net metering. 

India installed over 8 GW of solar in first half of 2022

According to a study by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and JMK Research, India installed 8,359 MW of solar PV in the first half of the year, marking a huge rise of 71% compared to the same period last year, according to figures.

India may install 20 GW in the whole of 2022, made up of around 16.5 GW of large-scale PV and 3.5 GW of rooftop solar. This would be another huge jump up from the 12 GW deployed in 2021. IEEFA reported that the solar-rich state of Rajasthan has installed the most capacity by far this year with 4.5 GW, almost three times that of its closest rival Gujarat (1.5 GW), followed by the southern state of Tamil Nadu with 680 MW.

Shell buys 2.9 GW solar platform in India 

Oil and gas company Shell completed the purchase of a 2900 MW renewables platform in India from Actis, company set up by Sprng Energy group.  The Pune-based group develops and manages renewable energy facilities such as solar and wind farms and infrastructure assets.

Shell paid $1.55 billion for purchase in April, which includes 2.1 GW of operating assets and 800 MW of contracted capacity. The company has a further 7.5 GW of renewable energy projects in the pipeline. IEEFA reported that the solar and wind assets Shell is acquiring through the deal will triple its present renewable capacity in operation and help deliver its ambition of becoming an integrated power business. 

Germany’s solar power production surges, wind-solar 2030 targets to double from 42% to 80% 

According to newspaper Deutsche Welle, Germany’s solar power output is soaring and the country is on its way to make up 80% of electricity production with wind and solar by 2030, instead of today’s 42%. The newspaper reported July was the third month in a row when solar power output soared to a record level. In July, solar systems generated around a fifth of net electricity production in Germany—exceeding lignite-fired power plants, which brought in nearly 22%. 

In another report, Germany’s solar manufacturing industry is falling apart because of a decade-long competition from Asia with German companies, which are filing for bankruptcy or being sold abroad. Volker Quaschning, professor at the Berlin University of Applied Science told the news portal that Germany is more than 90% dependent on solar module imports from Asian countries.

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