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					</table><p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has sought feedback from the states on the draft reports prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy (<a href="https://nise.res.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NISE</a>) and the <a href="https://www.iitr.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee</a> on the potential of floating solar and the policy framework.</p>
<p>The documents assess India’s floating solar potential and propose a policy framework covering site identification, project execution guidelines, stakeholder roles, approvals, scheduling, and measures to reduce risks for developers and investors.</p>
<p>These reports were prepared to address bottlenecks caused by prevailing land constraints for renewable energy projects, and to promote floating solar as an alternative.</p>
<p>The NISE and IIT reports note that only approximately 700 MW of floating solar projects have been commissioned so far. They also address the lack of data on potential sites and clear frameworks for executing such projects.</p>
<p>The documents were discussed at a recent MNRE stakeholder consultation, which focused on providing solutions, such as plug-and-play models and the allocation of water bodies with all approvals, to derisk developers and investors.</p>
<p>MNRE requested all states and union territories to undertake internal consultations with all state-level stakeholders, including water resources/irrigation, revenue, fisheries, forest, agriculture, public works, tourism, and pollution control departments, as well as the distribution and transmission companies, and provide comments and feedback on the draft policies and floating solar potential.</p>
<p>States and union territories were also asked to identify and prioritize sites for the projects, based on potential and policy.</p>
<p>MNRE said it will also undertake detailed consultations with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Wetlands Authority, and the National Dam Safety Authority, among others, on the floating solar policy based on the feedback from the states and union territories.</p>
<p>In an interview on the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2025 held in New Delhi on July 24 and 25, 2025, Deepak Ushadevi, MD and CEO at Ciel et Terre Solar, noted that floating solar is set to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/standardization-and-innovation-key-to-floating-solar-expansion-interview?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">become</a> a major driver of India’s renewable energy growth and not just a niche segment offering key advantages over ground-mount systems, such as no land acquisition issues, faster scalability, and higher generation.</p>
<p>Some state governments are recognizing the benefits of floating solar projects and are developing policy frameworks to support their efficient implementation. Last April, the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/kerala-roadmap-develop-floating-solar-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> guidelines to support the development of floating solar projects across Kerala.</p>


MNRE Tells States to Identify Sites for Floating Solar Project Development


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					</table><p>The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (<a href="https://www.iitr.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IITR</a>) has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to procure 10 MW of solar power under a captive/group captive open access arrangement.</p>
<p>IITR will hold 26% of the equity shares in the solar project, valued at ₹36 million (~$398,418.84). Selected bidders must sign a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA).</p>
<p>Bids must be submitted by February 21, 2026. Bids will be opened on February 23, 2026.</p>
<p>Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹1 million (~$11,067.2) and a document fee of ₹1,000 (~$11.07) plus 18% GST.</p>
<p>Selected bidders must furnish a security deposit of 5% of the estimated one-year electricity consumption cost and an earnest money deposit of 110% of the equity share held by IITR in the solar project.</p>
<p>The scope of work entails the design, engineering, installation, testing, and commissioning of the solar project. It also involves providing operation and maintenance (O&amp;M) services for the PPA period.</p>
<p>The O&amp;M services include overhauling the project, equipment, works, switchyard, and transmission lines and equipment up to the injection point.</p>
<p>Successful bidders must identify the project location, acquire land, evacuate power, obtain project approvals, and conduct project feasibility studies.  They must coordinate with the state transmission unit, the state load dispatch center, distribution companies, and other relevant agencies to obtain open access approvals.</p>
<p>The project must be set up within 50 km of IITR in Uttarakhand.</p>
<p>The project must be commissioned within 180 days. Delays in commissioning or a shortfall in supplying the contracted energy will attract liquidated damages.</p>
<p>Bidders must have commissioned at least one open access power supply project of a minimum 1 MWp capacity in the last seven years, preferably in Uttarakhand.</p>
<p>Bidders must have a financial turnover of at least ₹300 million (~$3.32 million).</p>
<p>Last December, Central Electronics <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/central-electronics-tenders-4-mw-solar-projects-for-iit-kharagpur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a tender to set up 4.125 MW grid-connected solar projects at IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker </a>to stay on top of real-time tender activity.</p>


IIT Roorkee Invites Bids to Procure 10 MW of Solar Power


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					</table><p><a href="https://www.iitr.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IIT Roorkee</a> startup <a href="https://indienergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indi Energy</a>, which specializes in manufacturing indigenous sodium-ion batteries, has been accorded the National Startup Award 2022 in the Energy Storage category by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry&#8217;s initiative <a href="https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/nsa2022.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Startup India</a>.</p>
<p>The award honors businesses that offer innovative and ground-breaking solutions that encourage India’s sustainable economic development and provide employment opportunities.</p>
<p>Indi Energy, founded in 2019, is India’s first company to successfully develop an indigenous sodium-ion cell using bio-waste-derived commercial hard carbon and indigenously developed cathode.</p>
<p>The company&#8217;s sodium-ion batteries are said to have a high energy density, low cost, and high safety, making them a viable and sustainable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries.</p>
<p>The company aims to provide affordable and reliable energy storage solutions for a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles, grid storage, and portable electronics.</p>
<p>The company said it is trying to empower the nation with its indigenously developed battery, including its components, to make India self-reliant.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are proud to be leading the way in the development of sodium-ion batteries in India. This award is a step towards our goal of making India’s energy independent and self-reliant in sustainable energy storage solutions,” Yogesh Kumar Sharma, Co-Founder at Indi Energy, said.</p>
<p>&#8220;This award is a true recognition of our team&#8217;s hard work, dedication, and passion for creating sustainable and innovative energy solutions for India and the world,&#8221; Akash Soni, Co-Founder, and CEO of Indi Energy, said.</p>
<p>In recognition of the achievement, the certificate of commendation was presented by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industries.</p>
<p>The institute recently launched a program to support faculty-led startups aimed at the commercialization of technologies.</p>
<p>The support is provided for prototyping, pilot testing, and marketing expenses.</p>
<p>IIT Roorkee is supporting 130-plus startups through TIDES (Technology Incubation and Entrepreneurship Development Society) and I-Hub Divyasampark.</p>
<p>Both units facilitate the incubation of new enterprises with innovative technologies by admitting them to their Incubation Centre and providing physical, technical, financial, and networking support and services.</p>
<p>In December 2022, researchers from the institute said they had successfully <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-roorkee-claim-17-efficiency-perovskite-solar-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a prototype of a low-cost, high-quality perovskite solar cell that achieved a stable power conversion efficiency of 17.05%.</p>
<p>In the same month, researchers from IIT Guwahati, in collaboration with the University of Lisbon, Portugal, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-researchers-discover-enzyme-that-bioethanol-fuel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> a bacterial endoglucanase enzyme capable of breaking down biomatter into simple sugar and bioethanol — a promising renewable fuel that can replace petroleum-based fuel systems.</p>


IIT-backed Startup Wins National Award for Innovation in Energy Storage

<p>The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IITR) is set to become a smart campus after the deployment of ABB microgrid with battery energy storage gets completed in 2022.</p>
<p>Currently, solar PV systems are installed at 27 locations across the campus that generate 1.8 MW of solar power.</p>
<p>This is a part of an MoU signed between IITR and ABB, which also includes the creation of a smart grid resource center, joint R&amp;D facilities and support for PhD students.</p>
<p>The project would also support technology solutions like smart metering, SCADA, ring main unit (RMUs), and wireless broadband communication platform.</p>
<p>These measures would help the institute to increase the use of renewable energy, identify potential of demand side control, and integrate other power sources.</p>
<p>“Sustainability through adoption of new technologies has been at the core of all developmental activities at IIT Roorkee. We believe this collaboration with ABB using the IIT Roorkee campus as the hub for R&amp;D on futuristic technologies for smarter, sustainable cities will create many milestones”, said Ajit Chaturvedi, Director of IIT Roorkee.</p>
<p>The institute wants to become a self-sustaining and zero emission green campus. In recent times, many IITs have also turned to renewable sources for their energy needs.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-indore-campus-422kw-rooftop-solar/">In December 2018,</a> the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore installed 422 kW solar rooftop power system in its premises.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/iit-kharagpur-eoi-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In May 2018</a>, IIT Kharagpur has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from project developers and contractors to set up a 5.5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project.</p>
<p>Other educational centers across the country are also turning to solar as it is a cheaper source of electricity and also helps curb toxic carbon emissions.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/jnu-installs-500-kw-rooftop-solar-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In December 2018,</a> Jawaharlal Nehru University (<a href="https://www.jnu.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JNU</a>) installed a 500 kW rooftop solar system to light up its classrooms.</p>
<p>Mumbai’s St Xavier’s High School has also<a href="https://mercomindia.com/st-xaviers-school-mumbai-rooftop-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> installed</a> a 35 kW rooftop solar system to save approximately ₹700,000 (~$9,726) every year on its electricity bill.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://mercomindia.com/amity-installs-1-8-mw-solar-campuses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">July 2018</a>, Amity University installed rooftop solar PV projects totaling 1.8 MW across three campuses.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/uttarakhand-gb-pant-university-rooftop-tender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In May 2018</a>, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Uttarakhand’s Pantnagar town tendered a 5 MW grid-connected rooftop solar PV project.</p>
<p>Image credit: By Fowler&amp;fowler &#8211; Own work, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16995501" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY-SA 3.0</a> via Wikipedia</p>


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