Utility Scale Storage

Researchers have sounded the alarm. If no serious efforts are made on second-life battery use, recycling and vehicle-to-grid applications, decarbonization efforts may hit the buffers a lot sooner than expected.

The U.S. based researchers said linking solar with hydro in a full hybrid system configuration may result – at best – in the deployment of 7,593 GW for an estimated annual power generation of 10,616 TWh and a 20% reservoir coverage. And combining solar with hydro in this way brings further benefits, including improved system operation at different time scales, more opportunities for storage thanks to pumped hydro, increased utilization rates of transmission lines, reduced PV curtailment, and lower interconnection costs and water evaporation.

The ground-mounted, grid-connected project—to be developed in turnkey mode—shall be awarded through international competitive bidding followed by reverse auction. Bidding closes on October 27.

The region could, by 2050, cut greenhouse gas emissions from power, heat, transport and desalination which are expected to add up to more than 825 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent this year. Such a transition could be perfectly possible, technically and financially.

The selected party will provide funding support of Rs 4 crore by way of design and development of machinery for lithium- and sodium-ion battery cell manufacturing. September 30 is the deadline to submit the interest.  

International thinktank IEEFA says there are 50 viable green hydrogen projects under development with an estimated renewable energy capacity of 50 GW and the potential to produce 4 million tonnes of the fuel annually.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have identified sites where hydrogen could be produced via PV electrolysis at prices ranging from $1.90/kg to $4.20/kg in the United States by the end of the decade.

Hyderabad-based RE developer Greenko Energies, which is developing over 40 GWh of pumped hydro storage projects in India, has partnered with NTPC to develop round-the-clock power supply solutions by integrating renewable energy sources and pumped storage.

Mitesh Patel, Renewables Director-Asia, US-headquartered EPC player Black & Veatch, speaks to pv magazine about the key trends driving the solar market, especially in Southeast Asia, and strategies to improve the bankability of PV projects.

The coal tar derivates company has commissioned a 5000-tonne per annum facility to manufacture synthetic graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. It plans to invest US$ 70 million (Rs 520 crore) over the next five years to increase this capacity to 50,000 tonnes.