Distributed Storage

For a long while, it looked as if hydrogen fuel cells would be the technology of choice for emissions-free road transport. However, truck manufacturers and freight forwarders recently turned their attention to battery-electric vehicles. This will require special charging technology and PV looks set to play an important role.

LG has developed an air source heat pump with the capacity to heat 200 liters to 270 liters of domestic water. It uses R134a as a refrigerant and the pump has a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 3.85.

The budget signifies the government’s intent to drive domestic manufacturing of lithium battery cells as it waives customs duty on the import of machinery required for manufacturing these cells. It also continues with nil customs duty on critical inputs for solar manufacturing. The budget also aims to support large-scale battery storage projects through viability gap funding.

UK scientists have discovered that second-life batteries could provide a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) than conventional batteries in school buildings equipped with PV in East African schools. They said the cheapest system configuration uses either 7.5 kW or 10 kW of solar with 20 kWh of storage.

Electric vehicles (EV) sales in India soared 212% year-on-year to surpass one million mark in 2022.

The central government and the state government of Karnataka have signed an agreement with Bengaluru-headquartered Rajesh Exports to lend support and a tailormade incentive package for its 5 GWh lithium cell factory in Karnataka.

India’s largest EV store chain, which has a pan-India retail network of 100+ outlets, has entered the Sri Lankan 2-wheeler market through a joint venture company with cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga. The company will also start EV assembly in India by the end of December and roll out its products using battery technology developed with partner iPower.  

The US-based company has been granted patents in India and China for its smart battery management system that monitors the thermal storage capacity of the phase-change material and automatically adjusts the power output of the battery packs and cells.

Servotech Power Systems has supplied 1,400 EV chargers in a span of three months in various cities across India.

At Hydrogen India Summit 2023, Black & Veatch pinpointed business models that will hasten India’s shift to cleaner fuels like green hydrogen.