Energy Storage

Renewables major Greenko will develop 375 MW to 400 MW of solar and wind capacity to power Hindalco’s aluminum smeltering operations in Odisha. It will back the renewables generation with hydro pump storage capacity in Andhra Pradesh to ensure 100 MW of round-the-clock supply to Hindalco.

New research from Stanford University researcher Mark Jacobson outlines how 145 countries could meet 100% of their business-as-usual energy needs with wind, water, solar and energy storage. The study finds that in all the countries considered, lower-cost energy and other benefits mean the required investment for transition is paid off within six years. The study also estimates that worldwide, such a transition would create 28 million more jobs than it lost.

India’s national hydrogen mission includes the development of hydrogen as a fuel for transportation. Toward that objective, state-run oil and gas companies are engaged in a number of projects, including the blending of hydrogen with compressed natural gas for use as a transportation fuel, and the use of green hydrogen for fuel-cell-based mobility. 

A new study shows that hydrogen could be produced for as little as AUD 2.85 ($1.98) per kilogram, supporting Frontier Energy’s plans to make green hydrogen from a 500 MW solar project it is developing in Western Australia.

NTPC, India’s largest power utility, will use Ohmium’s PEM electrolyzer for green hydrogen generation at its NETRA campus. Delhi-based Spirare Energy will provide EPC services for the plant.

Mitsubishi Power Americas and Magnum Development are set to begin construction on a 300 GWh underground storage facility in the US state of Utah. It will consist of two caverns with capacities of 150 GWh, to store hydrogen generated by an adjacent 840 MW hydrogen-capable gas turbine combined cycle power plant.

Wood Mackenzie said it expects the United States and China to represent 75% of global energy storage demand in a highly consolidated market.

A new report says India will have only 50 million electric vehicles (EVs) on road by 2030 despite a ramp-up in domestic manufacturing, falling behind by 40% on the cumulative sales projections by NITI Aayog. It also recommends policy measures to improve India’s chances of realizing 80 million EV sales by 2030.

NTPC, as a project management consultant to Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE), has launched bids to develop 1.15 GW of grid-connected solar and 150 MW/150 MWh battery storage projects in Cuba. The prospective developer will execute the project on a ‘build-own-operate-transfer’ basis and transfer to UNE after 25 years.

A new report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) examines the challenges before India in achieving its ambitious target of having 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity and meeting 50% of its energy requirements from renewables by 2030. It also discusses feasible pathways for achieving these.