Sunday, 11 October 2026

India's expansion of battery energy storage systems is running into financial and commercial obstacles even as demand grows for grid flexibility and renewable energy integration, according to EQ Magazine.

High upfront investment costs, uncertain revenue streams, limited market mechanisms and dependence on imported battery components are affecting the viability of storage projects, EQ Magazine reported.

Storage is moving toward the centre of India's renewable energy infrastructure, according to SolarQuarter. The country's recently approved large-scale grid programme includes incentives for 50 GWh of battery energy storage systems.

SolarQuarter framed the next challenge as ensuring that the equipment powering the transition is increasingly designed, manufactured and serviced within the country. That domestic-manufacturing gap connects directly to the cost pressure on storage, since reliance on imported battery components is among the factors EQ Magazine cited as weighing on project economics.

Kruger National Park in South Africa will procure more than 25% of its annual electricity demand from off-site utility-scale wind and solar, according to Travel And Tour World. That amounts to about 7.25 million kWh of the park's roughly 29 million kWh total yearly demand once the generation assets reach commercial operation.

Clean power deliveries are scheduled to begin by late 2026, according to Travel And Tour World.

The renewable supply will reach the park through the national electricity grid using wheeling, which allows renewable electricity generated elsewhere in South Africa to be allocated to the park without requiring large-scale generation inside the conservation area, according to Business Day.

South African National Parks (SANParks), Discovery Green, Sasol and Ampli Energy are leading the project and rely on national-grid renewable energy wheeling, according to Travel And Tour World.

Three REnew Pacific renewable energy projects for Fiji and other regional countries were announced at the pre-COP31 Summit in Nadi, according to the Fiji Times.

The projects are designed to promote renewable energy in Fiji and across other regional countries.

In a separate development, a protest was held in the Solhan district of Bingöl against planned solar power projects, according to ANF News. Opponents objected to projects sited on grazing areas used by more than 60,000 animals, as well as pastures and forested areas where beekeeping is carried out.

Rajasthan is extending its renewable energy strategy past solar and wind generation to cover battery storage, domestic manufacturing and improved grid integration, according to EQ Magazine.

EQ Magazine reported that wider deployment of storage could help the state absorb additional renewable capacity while improving the reliability of its electricity supply.

Separately, the fifth Oman Electricity and Energy Conference is scheduled to open on October 12, with an expected 4,200 participants from 47 countries, according to the Oman Observer.

Karnataka holds India's highest under-construction wind power capacity at 9 GW, according to B2B Purchase, which reported the state received national recognition at Windergy India 2026 in Chennai on October 9.

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Education and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the eighth edition of Windergy India 2026 in Chennai on October 8, 2026, according to EQ.

India had 59.20 GW of installed wind capacity as of September 30, 2026, according to EQ. Joshi set out a path toward the national ambition of reaching 100 GW of installed wind energy capacity by 2030.

IRENA has set up the Partnership for Accelerating Renewables in Latin America and the Caribbean (PARLAC), a cooperation platform for the region, according to IRENA.

The launch took place at a Global High-Level Forum on Energy Transition in Santo Domingo, IRENA said. The forum was co-chaired by Joel Santos, Minister of Energy and Mines of the Dominican Republic and current President of the IRENA Assembly, with IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera.

IRENA said PARLAC will work on rolling out renewable energy technologies and electrification across the region, sitting alongside existing programs such as the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative.

The platform groups IRENA member states and will link their energy transition work with strategic partners at the regional level, IRENA said. It will also design and run regional and cross-border energy transition projects.

SANParks has announced a green-energy deal with Ampli Energy to supply more than a quarter of Kruger National Park's annual energy requirements in South Africa.

The agreement covers over a quarter of the park's yearly energy needs, according to SANParks.

In separate commentary, South Africa's fuel-price shock has been attributed partly to government decisions that allowed fuel reserves to be sold, shut refinery capacity and failed to speed up renewable energy development.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has floated a tender for a 120 MW AC solar photovoltaic project paired with battery storage in Bihar's Aurangabad district, according to SolarQuarter.

The project includes a 60 MW battery energy storage system with 240 MWh of capacity, alongside five years of operation and maintenance services, SolarQuarter reported.

The tender covers design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of both the solar plant and the associated battery storage infrastructure.

The Department of Port Administration (PAAS) is moving forward with a proposed solar power project at Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa, according to Samoa News.

The project would generate up to 25 MW of solar power, PAAS said. It pairs that output with a battery system rated to deliver 20 MW and store 80 MWh, so daytime generation can serve load at night and during cloudy periods.

Tripura will invest Rs 100 crore to restore the Dumboor hydropower plant, according to neindia.com. The facility was severely damaged by floods in 2024.

The state is targeting 10-11 MW of electricity generation from the restored plant, neindia.com reported. Restoration work is scheduled to begin in December.

Rooftop solar applications in Tiruchy district jumped after Tamil Nadu added a state subsidy, with 1,020 applications filed over two months against an earlier monthly average of 200, according to officials of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL).

The state support sits on top of the central subsidy under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The Centre pays up to INR 78,000 for a 3 kW rooftop solar system under the scheme, officials of the Southern Discom said.

In Telangana, the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TGSPDCL) called on domestic consumers to install rooftop systems to lower their electricity bills.

EWE AG and Verbund AG said their jointly owned hydrogen subsidiary will develop the CHC Electrolysis JadeWeser project, a 500 MW electrolyzer facility in Nordenham, Lower Saxony, according to Tech Times.

The plant is designed to produce approximately 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year by 2032, Tech Times reported.

A final investment decision for the project has not been taken.

At the Knott Landfill in Bend, Deschutes County's Solid Waste Department has teamed with Cascade Natural Gas Corp. on a renewable natural gas facility.

The opening phase of work adds 44 vertical gas wells that will draw methane off decomposing waste, according to reporting by Your Oregon News and The Bulletin.

The county says capturing that gas keeps methane from reaching the atmosphere and feeds it back for use.

At the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond, conservation work last year trimmed electricity use by 3.6% and natural gas use by 0.3%.

Hawaiian Electric filed an application with Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission for a 20-year fixed-price power purchase agreement covering the Pulehu Solar project on Maui, according to GreentechLead. The development would combine 20 MW of solar generation with 80 MWh of battery storage.

RWE completed the sale of its 33.33% ownership stake in the Five Estuaries offshore wind project in the United Kingdom to EDF, GreentechLead reported.

Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water signed amended power purchase agreements with solar developers C.D.N. and EONE, advancing efforts to activate previously licensed photovoltaic projects, according to GreentechLead.

In the United Kingdom, Hygen Energy signed an offtake agreement with GeoPura for hydrogen from its planned 35 MW Bradford Low Carbon Hydrogen facility in West Yorkshire, GreentechLead reported.

John DLG Demapan Jr., a Precinct #1 House of Representatives candidate in the CNMI, said he supports the CUC solar project and planning for a new power plant. "I want to be clear: I support the CUC solar project, and I also support planning for a brand-new power plant. I believe we need both," he said, describing solar as a first step toward reducing dependence on imported fuel.