India’s renewable energy industry is expanding rapidly, but the availability of job-ready talent has not kept pace with the sector’s growth, panelists said at the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026. Speaking at the session “Bridging the Renewable Energy Talent Gap: Aligning Academia with Industry Needs,” panelists said companies across solar manufacturing, project development, rooftop, and renewable energy services continue to face long training cycles, high attrition, and a shortage of practical skills among fresh graduates.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reopened the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) portal until July 23, 2026, for the submission of applications seeking the protection of investments already made under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List II for solar cells.

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission invited bids from consultancy firms to assist with the scrutiny, review, approval, and monitoring of the capital investment plan and related matters. The last date to submit bids is August 3, 2026.

Do you know that if your facility has a sanctioned load of 1 MW or more, you can buy cheaper electricity directly from the national market right now? Most commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers don’t realize they’re sitting on a massive opportunity to save more than 30% of their electricity costs.

Recent moves by private players to acquire power distribution licenses have once again brought the debate over the privatization of distribution companies to the forefront. Power distribution has historically been one of the most politically sensitive segments of India’s electricity sector.

REMCL, a joint venture between the Ministry of Railways and RITES, invited bids to select developers to set up 17 MW of intrastate transmission system-connected solar power projects, along with 12.5 MW/50 MWh battery energy storage systems, on vacant railway land in Dahod, Gujarat. The last date to submit bids is August 18, 2026. Bids will be opened on August 20.

PFC Consulting announced the winner of its auction to establish an interstate transmission system (ISTS) for the integration of the Krishnagiri Renewable Energy Zone Phase-I in Andhra Pradesh on a build, own, operate, and transfer basis. Power Grid Corporation of India was declared the winner of the ISTS auction.

Two Rajasthan distribution companies, Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam (JVVNL), have invited bids to set up 110 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems each across both distribution areas in Rajasthan under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

LONGi Green Energy started commercial production at a 21 GW back-contact solar cell facility in China using copper-based metallization technology, replacing the use of silver in the manufacturing process. The switch to copper has been spurred by the surging prices of silver globally over the last year.

Gurugram-based electric vehicle mobility platform, Milo Drive, raised $2.4 million (~₹228.59 million) in a seed funding round led by Caret Capital. Antler, Alteria Capital, IAN Capital, Climate Angels, and Aureolis Capital were among the other investors who participated in the round.

Avaada Electro, the solar manufacturing arm of Avaada Group, commissioned the first 3 GW production line at its planned 6 GW N Type TOPCon solar cell manufacturing facility in Butibori, Nagpur, Maharashtra. The company said the remaining 3 GW capacity is currently under ramp-up.

Velto Renewables, an independent renewable energy producer backed by La Caisse (formerly CDPQ), has completed a refinancing transaction of more than €800 million (~$914 million) for a portfolio of 76 operational solar photovoltaic projects in Spain with a combined installed capacity of 218 MWp. The refinancing covers assets operating under Spain’s Regulated Renewable Energy, Cogeneration and Waste framework.

Peak Energy announced it will set up a facility to manufacture up to 4 GWh of grid-scale sodium-ion battery energy storage systems annually, in Sacramento, California. With more than 6 GWh of customer commitments already in place, the facility will help the U.S. meet the rapidly increasing energy storage demand, fueled by the expansion of AI and data centers, while advancing energy security and domestic manufacturing, Peak Energy said.

AmpereHour Energy announced the inauguration of its battery energy storage systems manufacturing and integration facility in Chakan, Pune. The facility will focus on leveraging containerized battery DC-AC blocks for utility-scale and C&I applications.

Saint-Gobain India invited bids for long-term renewable power supply to its Oragadam plant in Tamil Nadu. The company is evaluating a group captive hybrid solution comprising solar and wind, with a delivered renewable energy requirement of approximately 90 MU per year. Bidders must submit their proposals by July 18, 2026.

Electric vehicle manufacturer Zelio E-Mobility announced the opening of its new manufacturing facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The plant has an installed production and assembly capacity of 60,000 units per annum. Spread across 39,000 sq. ft., the facility will support electric scooter assembly, storage, logistics, and allied business operations.

China rolled out new minimum efficiency standards for components across the solar manufacturing value chain covering polysilicon, wafers, modules, and inverters. The standards will take effect on January 1, 2027. For TOPCon and HJT modules, the minimum efficiency is set at 23.2%. The minimum efficiency standard for back-contact solar modules is 23.5%.

Swiss energy company Alpiq agreed to acquire a 90% stake in Harmony Energy, a developer and operator of grid-scale battery energy storage projects across Europe. The acquisition will expand Alpiq’s battery storage portfolio and provide access to Harmony Energy’s project development, construction, operations, and asset management capabilities.

Decarbonization solutions company ReNew and Japan’s Mitsui have inked a $730 million (~₹69.53 billion) multi-currency refinancing for its 320 MW round-the-clock renewable energy project in Tamil Nadu. Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking acted as structuring bank, original mandated lead arranger and bookrunner, and green loan coordinator.