India Allows Four Chinese-linked Power Equipment Firms to Bid for Government Projects
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The Centre has allowed four Chinese power equipment manufacturers with factories in India to participate in government tenders for critical power projects, according to a government order, Reuters reported. TBEA Energy, Nanjing Electric India, New Northeast Electric India and Taikai Electric (India) will be allowed to participate in the tenders, the order from India's Ministry of Finance, reviewed by Reuters said.
India's power ministry had sought the exemption in January for entities with manufacturing units in India involved in critical power projects, the document said.
Reuters reported in January that India was examining broader relaxations on Chinese bidders for government contracts as border tensions ease.
The news wire noted that since a 2020 border clash, New Delhi has required Chinese bidders to register with a government panel and secure political and security clearances before competing for any state contract.
Aditya Birla Renewables to Buy Sprng Energy From British Oil Major Shell
Grasim Industries' renewables unit will buy Sprng Energy from British oil major Shell in a deal worth $1.8 billion, including debt, in one of India's largest clean energy acquisitions, Reuters reported. The acquisition will add 5 GW in capacity to Aditya Birla Renewables' portfolio, Grasim, the flagship company of India's Aditya Birla Group, said.
The deal takes the group's renewables portfolio to 9.3 GW, making it one of the largest players in India. India has stepped up its clean energy push to meet rising power demand, targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 from about 283 GW now, drawing investment from domestic conglomerates and global energy companies.
The country's clean energy space is currently dominated by Adani Group's clean energy unit Adani Green and ReNew Energy Global.
Gujarat Farmers Demand Four Times Market Price as Compensation For Losing Land to Set Up Lines For Adani Solar Power Project
The farmers in Jetpar village in Morbi, Gujarat are demanding higher compensation than what the Bhupendra Patel government budged and were willing to offer for those losing land to the Adani Group's transmission project, the Wire reported. The protestors have called for a written government resolution and are demanding four times the market value for their land, not two times.
As the Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) is installing high-tension power lines and towers on agricultural lands in Morbi district, the agitating farmers said the installed infrastructure will leave their land practically uncultivable. The government's original offer was twice the government-fixed "jantri rate," below actual market prices. The project will affect hundreds of farmers in at least six tehsils of Morbi.
Besides Morbi,, the project will also affect farmers in Kutch, Jamnagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Surendranagar, Patan and Banaskantha.
China Achieves World Record Efficiency of 28.04% For Perovskite-organic Tandem Solar Cell
Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) said they hit a power conversion efficiency of “28.04% for a tandem solar cell based on a wide-bandgap perovskite bottom cell and a narrow-bandgap organic top cell,” PV Magazine reported.
The researchers said the result was confirmed by an independent third party and represents a world record for this cell configuration. The device also demonstrated excellent stability, retaining 90% of their initial efficiency after 625 hours of continuous operation under illumination.