The Suzlon Group has achieved the milestone of 20 GW of installed wind turbine capacity worldwide, with 12,467 wind turbines installed in 17 countries, spanning six continents. Together with its late founder and chairman Tulsi Tanti, Suzlon has shaped the Indian wind energy industry since 1995. Suzlon's journey from the first 270kW turbine in 1995 to a 3MW turbine in 2023 will continue to inspire generations to come. Headquartered in Suzlon One Earth, Pune, the group has a diverse workforce of 5,900 employees with an operating track record of over 28 years.
The world will add a record amount of renewable electricity capacity this year as governments and consumers seek to offset high energy prices and capitalize on a solar boom. It is expected to reach 440 GW by 2023, bringing global installed capacity to 4,500 GW, roughly as much as the combined generating capacity of the United States and China. The supply chain for wind turbines is not growing fast enough to meet demand, and the grid must be upgraded and expanded to account for the intermittency of solar and wind power. To meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, emissions need to be halved by 2030 and cut to "net zero" by mid-century. Countries will discuss setting international targets for renewable energy rollout at the UN climate summit.
India's electricity consumption has increased significantly. In December 2022, its total electricity consumption will reach 121.19 billion kilowatt-hours, leading the growth of renewable energy in the world, and it is the third largest country in terms of new installed capacity of renewable energy. To ensure financial stability, the government has introduced facilitation schemes such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Scheme, Rooftop Scheme and Solar Park Scheme. Financial stability in the energy sector is critical to attracting funding for clean energy projects, developing innovative technologies and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. It also ensures that companies can maintain stable employment levels, provide fair wages, and contribute to the local economy. Without stability, companies may have difficulty obtaining funding or accessing capital markets, hindering their ability to grow and innovate.
Portugal's first auction of permits to build offshore wind farms will start at the end of the year. Its goal is to have a total installed capacity of more than 1 GW by 2030, with a total investment of 3-40 billion euros in projects. The auction will target floating wind farms with turbines in the deep sea, where the winds are strong enough to harness more energy than conventional structures on land. Portugal already has a small 25 MW floating wind project off its Atlantic coast, and other utilities have shown interest in developing offshore wind projects in Portugal. There is also strong investment interest in Portugal, with hydrogen plants installed by 2030 doubling or even tripling the forecasted 2.5 GW.
Power Finance Corp plans to increase its loan book exposure to renewable energy projects to 27% by FY2030 (large hydropower projects). To achieve this, spending could rise to Rs 3 trillion over the next seven years. The company has the largest loan portfolio in the renewable energy sector with a renewable energy book of Rs 48,200 crore. Non-performing assets (NPAs) have been reduced due to the resolution of stressed assets and the financial discipline brought about by National Disco. Total technical and commercial loss has improved to 16.5% in FY22.
Japan's wind power agency has set a mid-century goal of increasing installed capacity to 140 gigawatts (GW) by 2050 to meet a third of the country's electricity needs and help it achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and target. JWPA aims to install 40 GW of onshore wind farms, 40 GW of bottom-fixed offshore wind farms and 60 GW of floating offshore wind farms. These installations will have an economic knock-on effect of 6 trillion yen per year by 2050, creating 355,000 jobs and reducing fossil fuel procurement costs.
Hyphen Hydrogen Energy has reached an agreement with the Namibian government for the next phase of a $10 billion green hydrogen project, which will be exported to Europe. The plant will be built in stages and will eventually produce 2 million tonnes of green ammonia per year for regional and global markets when fully operational. However, some community activists have raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the massive deal. Hyphen has signed a memorandum of understanding with a potential European customer and a letter of intent with Koole Terminals for a proposed import of green ammonia into Europe.
Jinko Solar Co Ltd sold its Xinjiang subsidiary to Ziyang Major Industry Equity Investment Fund and Dong Shihong for 4.3 bn yuan ($622.1 mil). The sale is pending an antitrust review by China's State Administration for Market Regulation. The unit reported an unaudited net profit of 139.9 million yuan in the first three months of this year and 152.1 million yuan in audited net profit in 2022.
The New York State grid last week met 20 percent of its electricity demand with solar energy, generating 3,330 megawatts for one hour. That power could power 2.7 million to 3.3 million homes, with a peak load recorded at 16,166 megawatts. New York is one of the strongest solar markets in the US, driving significant growth.
An international team led by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur has proposed offshore wind farms as an earthquake-resistant alternative energy source. The proposed methodology involves the estimation of nuclear reactor coolant power requirements, the design of offshore wind turbines, and seismic safety assessments. The proposed 15 MW offshore wind farm features three NREL 5 MW turbines supported by monopile foundations to serve as additional emergency backup power to meet the cooling power needs of the existing nuclear power plant. The presented method serves as an excellent framework for assessing the seismic resilience of nuclear power plants and the integration of wind energy resources during interrelated events such as earthquakes and tsunamis.