Month in a Minute: Top Headlines from the Indian Renewable Sector in July 2026

Solar Module Capacity Under ALMM Grows to 215.5 GW

PFC Awards Project to Evacuate 3 GW of Renewables in Andhra Pradesh

Storage, Engineering, and Service Become Distributed Solar’s Growth Drivers

Daily News Wrap-Up: MNRE Proposes Uniform Solar Cell Nomenclature

MENA Weekly Round-Up: Egypt Signs PPA with Alcazar for 407 MW Wind Project

Solar Tender and Auction Activity Declines in Q2 2026

MNRE Proposes Standardized Nomenclature for Solar Cells Under ALMM List II

India Can Build a Complete Solar Manufacturing Ecosystem Within Five Years: Interview

Green Hydrogen and Storage Key to Curbing Renewables Curtailment: Interview

<a href="https://www.purelithium.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pure Lithium</a>, a Boston-based lithium metal battery technology company, secured an investment of $15 million in Series A funding from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a subsidiary of Occidental (Oxy) dedicated to advancing cutting-edge, low-carbon technologies and business solutions.
OLCV acted as the lead investor in Pure Lithium&#8217;s Series A equity financing, which may raise up to an additional $15 million for a proposed total funding amount of $30 million.
Pure Lithium specializes in the development of battery-ready pure lithium metal electrodes crafted from a range of readily available lithium salts. The technology claims to eliminate 90% of the costs involved with traditional lithium metal foil production and produces a protected battery-ready electrode.
&#8220;At Pure Lithium, our mission is to commercialize the lithium metal battery via vertical integration across the entire value chain, from resource to battery. Our breakthrough Brine to Battery™ lithium metal extraction technology produces battery-ready lithium metal anodes in one step from aqueous lithium sources. Our resulting lithium metal batteries have achieved over 800 charge and discharge cycles while retaining 97% capacity, proving the performance of our Pure Lithium metal anode. We are thrilled to have OLCV join our journey as a value-adding shareholder. Their strategic vision is well aligned with Pure Lithium.&#8221; said Emilie Bodoin, Founder and CEO of Pure Lithium.
The funding will be used to accelerate the development and commercialization of Pure Lithium&#8217;s technology. The company also plans to tap into the electrochemical processing expertise that Oxy&#8217;s chemical business provides.
&#8220;We are excited to invest in Pure Lithium and support their revolutionary technology, which has the potential to sustainably transform lithium brine into battery-ready materials,&#8221; said Dr. Robert L. Zeller III, Vice President of Technology for OLCV, who recently joined Pure Lithium&#8217;s Scientific Advisory Board. &#8220;OLCV looks to accelerate Pure Lithium&#8217;s ambitions by leveraging our scale-up experience and operating discipline earned from over a century of chlor-alkali and chemical manufacturing, business acumen, and innovation, and our new TerraLithium business.&#8221;
According to Mercom&#8217;s Annual and Q4 2023 Funding and M&amp;A <a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/product/annual-q4-2023-funding-ma-report-storage-grid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Report</a> for Storage &amp; Smart Grid, Venture capital (VC/PE) funding in Energy Storage in 2023 was the highest ever recorded, increasing 59% year-over-year (YoY), with $9.2 billion in 86 deals compared to the $5.8 billion raised in 96 deals in 2022.

Pure Lithium Raises $15 Million in Series A Funding

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					</table>Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Oxford</a> have conducted a study revealing the mechanisms that cause failures in lithium metal solid-state batteries (Li-SSBs). The findings offer a path to overcome these challenges and potentially lead to a transformative improvement in electric vehicle (EV) battery range, safety, and performance.
The team said their research could also have far-reaching implications for electric aviation, propelling the development of electrically powered aircraft.
Li-SSBs differ from conventional batteries by replacing the flammable liquid electrolyte with a solid electrolyte and utilizing lithium metal as the anode.
The use of solid electrolytes enhances safety, while the incorporation of lithium metal allows for greater energy storage capacity.
However, a critical hurdle Li-SSBs face is the occurrence of short circuits during the charging process caused by the formation of dendrites. The study finds that these filament-like structures composed of lithium metal penetrate the ceramic electrolyte, leading to performance degradation and safety concerns.
Analyzing the Li-SSB Failures
As part of a collaborative effort between the University of Oxford&#8217;s Departments of Materials, Chemistry, and Engineering Science, researchers utilized advanced imaging techniques, specifically X-ray computed tomography at Diamond Light Source, to visualize dendrite failure during charging.
The study reveals that dendrite cracks initiate and propagate through distinct underlying mechanisms. Cracks form due to lithium accumulation in sub-surface pores, and further charging increases the pressure until the cracks propagate.
The propagation occurs through a wedge-opening mechanism, with lithium partially filling the crack and driving it open from behind.
Implications for Future Li-SSB Development 
The researchers said the newfound understanding of dendrite behavior in Li-SSBs holds viable promise for overcoming technological challenges.
Dominic Melvin, co-lead author of the study, emphasized the importance of balancing pressure within the lithium anode. The study reveals that while pressure is necessary to avoid gaps at the interface with the solid electrolyte during discharge, excessive pressure can be detrimental, increasing the likelihood of dendrite propagation and short-circuiting during charging.
The insights open avenues for refining battery designs and optimizing operating conditions to mitigate dendrite formation and enhance battery performance.
Professor Sir Peter Bruce, a key researcher involved in the study, highlighted the significance of comprehending how a soft metal like lithium can penetrate a dense ceramic electrolyte and hopes that the insights will help the progress of solid-state battery research toward a practical device.
According to a recent report by the Faraday Institution, solid-state batteries have the potential to fulfill substantial portions of global battery demand.
By 2040, they are projected to meet 50% of battery demand in consumer electronics, 30% in transportation, and over 10% in aircraft applications.
Professor Pam Thomas, CEO of the Faraday Institution, emphasized the importance of research initiatives like these, which tackle the mechanistic understanding of solid-state battery failures, as these endeavors pave the way for strategies that cell manufacturers can adopt to avoid such failures and drive advancements in battery technology.
A recent study by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/kit-researchers-battery-passivation-puzzle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase, which is crucial for the functioning of lithium-ion batteries, occurs through the aggregation of solutions rather than directly at the electrode. The findings offer insights into developing more efficient and long-lasting batteries in the future.
In April this year, Nanyang Technological University NTU Singapore <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-use-biomass-to-recover-metals-from-battery-waste" target="_blank" rel="noopener">partnered</a> with Se-cure Waste Management (SWM), a Singapore-based battery recycling and processing firm, to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries using biomass.

Oxford Researchers Reveal Reasons Behind Solid-State Battery Failures

Researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stanford University</a> have claimed they developed a new electrolyte design that boosts the performance of lithium metal batteries that could increase the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs).
Electrolytes are liquid substances that are electrically conductive and enable the transportation of ions between the positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode of a battery when it is used and recharged.
Lithium metal batteries use lithium metal-based anodes, unlike lithium-ion batteries, which use graphite-based ones. As a result, they can hold about twice as much electricity as conventional lithium-ion batteries.
The researchers explained that so far, the lithium metal anode reacts with the electrolyte, causing the battery to catch fire and fail. They said that the electrolyte solution had been one of the biggest factors holding back progress for lithium metal batteries.
In their study, the researchers said that their design concept for electrolytes provides a much more promising path to high-energy, long-cycling lithium metal batteries. Their experiments hypothesized that adding fluorine atoms onto the electrolyte molecule would make the electrolyte liquid more stable. This solution can be easily and cost-efficiently produced in bulk, as well.
The study showed that their experimental battery retained 90% of its initial charge even after 420 cycles of charging and discharging, whereas traditional lithium metal batteries stop working after about 30 cycles. They claimed their battery was able to achieve 325 watt-hours per kilogram specific energy.
It also claimed that the new electrolyte solution showed promising results when tested in commercially available batteries, as well. It also said that in addition to lasting longer and being more stable, the new electrolyte was also much less flammable than conventional ones.
The researchers said that following this development, they will be working with Battery500, a research consortium funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to focus on making lithium metal batteries viable. Together, they plan to work towards the consortium’s goal of achieving 500 watt-hours per kilogram.
In April, Mercom reported that Japanese researchers <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-electrode-material-lithium-batteries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">developed</a> a new electrode material that they claim will make lithium batteries cheaper, more stable, and capable of holding more charge for longer periods.

Stanford Researchers Develop New Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries Used in EVs

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