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No more coal fired power plants, India amends power policy draft
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India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants, apart from those already in the pipeline, by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP). The decision to stop building new coal-fired power plants aligns with India's commitments under the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
This is expected to be a major boost to fight climate change. The draft, if approved by the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would make China the only major economy open to fresh requests to add significant new coal-fired capacity.
India and China account for about 80% of all active coal projects as most developing nations wind down capacity to meet climate targets. As of January 2023, only 20 countries have more than one coal project planned, according to E3G, an independent climate think tank.
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Policy action will help India meet net-zero targets: RBI report
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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released its Report on Currency and Finance 2022-23, stating that balanced policy intervention with progress ensured across all policy options can help India achieve its green transition target by 2030, making the net-zero emissions aim by 2070 attainable.
The report acknowledges that India has a well-designed action plan with specific policy interventions in place to achieve the overall net-zero target. The report suggests that an accelerated reduction in energy usage of GDP by around 5% annually and a significant improvement in India's energy-mix in favor of renewables to around 80% by 2070-71 will help India achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.The report highlights that the financial sector faces a dual challenge of recalibrating its operations and business strategies to support the green transition. India's green financing requirement, estimated to be at least 2.5% of GDP annually till 2030, is also discussed in the report.
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Indian Railways to start trials on hydrogen train
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Railway Board Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said that work was underway to develop the country’s first hydrogen train and efforts are being made to start its trial in the current financial year. Hydrogen powered trains will be a huge “technological breakthrough” in the country, he said.
Despite the fact that hydrogen train technology is still being developed globally, the Indian Railways is working towards completing the project efficiently by setting strict deadlines for it.
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India's green power generation up by 19% in FY23
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The Central Electricity Authority has reported an increase in India's renewable power generation in FY23. The development reflects the country's efforts to shift towards a more sustainable energy mix. Renewable power generation—comprising wind, solar, hydro, biomass, bagasse and others—increased by 19.09% at the end of March 31, 2023. Total green power generation in FY23 was 2,03,552.17 million units against 1,70,912 million units in FY22.
Out of this, wind and solar constituted the majority of renewable power. Wind power generation increased by 4.62% while that of solar increased by 38.82%. When it comes to using renewable energy, Rajasthan and Gujarat are at the forefront, followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Together these account for 70% of the total green energy adoption in the country. The three states with the slowest adoption of renewable energy are Manipur, Tripura, and Goa.
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NTPC to set up green hydrogen hub in Pudimadaka, Andhra Pradesh
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IEA: Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles grew by 40% in 2022
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NTPC is setting up a green hydrogen hub in Pudimadaka, a coastal village in Andhra Pradesh, which will involve a total investment of more than INR 1 lakh crore. The project will consist of a 13.4 GW solar power installation, a 6.6 GW pumped storage project, and a total of 20 GW of renewable power capacity including storage, all of which will be utilised for manufacturing green hydrogen through electrolysis. The project's main goal is to target South Asia and European markets for green energy products, services, and technologies. Talks are already underway with an Australian company for establishing green hydrogen manufacturing facilities. The project will cover an area of 1,200 acres divided into two areas of 600 acres each, featuring an industrial and hydrogen hub.
The hydrogen hub will have a green hydrogen facility with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes per day, and there will be green ammonia and green methanol manufacturing facilities with capacities of 1,300 TPD and 1,200 TPD, respectively. NTPC is holding discussions with domestic and international companies for manufacturing electrolysers and other green energy products and services. The project is expected to be completed by 2030, with the first half likely by 2026-27.
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According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), global sales of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) rose by 25% in 2022, with South Korea leading the way in terms of growth in the FCEV market. The report reveals that 80% of the world's FCEVs are cars, 10% are trucks, and almost 10% are buses, with two-thirds of the additional 15,000 fuel cell cars on the road in 2022 being in South Korea.
The US is the second-largest market for FCEVs, with just over 15,000 FCEVs, mostly cars, and a little more than 200 fuel cell buses. China has the third-largest FCEV stock and is home to more than 95% of the world's hydrogen trucks and almost 85% of the global fuel cell bus fleet. The report also reveals that 1,020 hydrogen refuelling stations were in operation worldwide in 2022, with China having the most, followed by South Korea, Japan, Germany, and the US. In contrast, sales of non-hydrogen electric cars exceeded 10 million in 2022, up 55% compared to 2021, with just under 30% of these being plug-in hybrids, and more than 310,000 electric light commercial vehicles, nearly 66,000 electric buses, and 60,000 electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks were sold in 2022.
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SJVN to set up 200 MW solar power project in Gujarat
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SJVN Ltd, a state-owned company, has successfully secured a 200 MW solar project worth INR 1,200 crore in Khavda Solar Park. The Khavda Solar Park in Gujarat is an ideal location for solar power generation, with abundant sunlight and a favorable policy environment for renewable energy development. The project was awarded through an e-Reverse auction organised by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL) and will operate on a Build, Own, and Operate (BOO) basis.
The project's tariff of INR 2.88 per unit is believed to be competitive. The project's expected generation of 505 million units in its first year of commissioning is significant and is expected to contribute to India's renewable energy targets. Over a period of 25 years, the cumulative energy generated by the project is expected to reach approximately 11,756 million units.
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Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre invites EOI for developing a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack
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The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is inviting expressions of interest (EOI) from vendors/OEMs for the design, development, processing, assembly, testing, qualification and production of an EV class 100 kV high power density low temperature (LT) Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack, either with or without technology collaboration with international OEMs.
The objective of the EOI is to shortlist technically suitable vendors for the proposed project. The vendor/OEM must have adequate experience in the field of electrochemical energy systems and must be similiar with essential processing/manufacturing practices. The primary/leading vendor must be an Indian company registered in India. The EOI document can be downloaded from the ISRO website and the same should be submitted to VSSC on or before 1400 hours on 5th June 2023.
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Indraprastha Gas & ACME to explore Green Hydrogen space
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Technip Energies, John Cockerill launch Rely, a new hydrogen solutions
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ACME Cleantech Solutions and Indraprastha Gas Limited have signed an MoU to explore potential business opportunities for green hydrogen in India. The two companies will work together to promote the adoption of green hydrogen by customers and create demand for it in the country.
They will also explore the possibility of setting up hydrogen generation plants, including setting up electrolyzers to blend green hydrogen in IGL’s existing pipeline networks supplying gas to households, industrial & commercial setups and CNG for vehicles. ACME will offer its experience and expertise, while IGL being a green energy provider to several cities and millions of homes, have a ready-made network to blend green hydrogen.
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Engineering and technology companies Technip Energies and John Cockerill have teamed up to create Rely, a provider of integrated green hydrogen solutions. Rely will offer end-to-end solutions, from pre-final investment decision services to project execution, operation, and maintenance. The new company will target the market for industrial and utility-scale projects with the aim of reaching revenues of over €1bn (USD 1.2bn) by 2030.
Technip will own 60% of Rely, with John Cockerill taking the remaining 40%. As part of the agreement, Rely will become a minority shareholder in John Cockerill Hydrogen, holding a 10% stake.
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