China and India have surpassed the United States to become the two most attractive countries for renewable energy investment, a report by UK accountancy firm Ernst & Young showed on Tuesday. In an annual ranking of the top 40 renewable energy markets worldwide in terms of allure, China was the top country, followed by India. The United States, which ranked the highest last year, slumped to third place, due to a shift in US energy policy under President Donald Trump.

Publication: First Post

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to boost domestic manufacturing of solar energy equipment is expected to see streamlined efforts. According to officials in the know, the Government is examining a proposal for setting up a Renewable Energy Export Council. The need for such a council follows the ambitious National Solar Mission targeting an indigenous manufacturing capacity of 4-5 GW by 2020. According to data shared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s installed solar cell manufacturing capacity stood at 2,953 MW till December 2016.

Publication: The Hindu Business Line

The first electric taxi fleet in the country is going to be launched in Nagpur from the 26th of May 2017. With India’s pledge to go all electric by 2030, this is a good way to get things rolling. Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, had earlier said that the trial of the electric radio cabs will begin from the 24th of May 2017 but now that has been postponed by two days to coincide with the three year completion of the Narendra Modi government. Nagpur will be the first city in the country to adopt electric cabs and the success of this project will determine its applicability in other cities.

Publication: NDTV

An inter-ministerial panel has recommended that the government place an order to procure 2.7 lakh electric vehicles including 20,000 buses by its agencies such as state transport undertakings. The move is expected to kickstart big investments in the electric vehicle industry. It has also suggested the government provide free charging facility for the first three years to attract potential vehicle buyers.

Publication: The Times of India

Aimed at promoting eco-friendly vehicles, the government will be ready with its electric vehicle policy by December, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said today. Accelerated adoption of electric and shared vehicles could save $60 billion in diesel and petrol costs while cutting down as much as 1 gigatonne (GT) of carbon emissions for India by 2030, government think tank Niti Aayog in a joint report with Rock Mountain Institute said last week.

Publication: The Economic Times

India’s push for electric vehicles (EV) may lead to a substantial change in its energy security priorities, with securing lithium supplies, a key raw material for making batteries, becoming as important as buying oil and gas fields overseas. The government is exploring measures ranging from leasing of electric vehicles to transferring technology to firms for commercial production of lithium-ion batteries developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre for use in automobiles, Mint reported. However, India does not have enough lithium reserves for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries.

Publication: Live Mint