Markets

The power transmission infrastructure developer has submitted bids for two battery energy storage projects, with a cumulative capacity of 400 MW, in the recently concluded auction of Salt River Project utility in Arizona, USA.

India’s renewable power consumption will surge from around 20 million tons of oil equivalent (toe) today to 300 million toe by 2040, predicts oil and gas major BP, mainly in the power sector and driven largely by growth in solar capacity. Yet coal will continue to dominate the country’s power generation mix, accounting for 80% of output, according to BP’s Energy Outlook 2019 report.

Hindustan Powerprojects has executed more than 350 MWp in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea and the U.K. since its establishment in 2008. It claims to have been the largest solar project developer in the UK from 2011-13 and commissioned its first utility-scale project in India in Tamil Nadu in 2010. In an interview with pv magazine, Lalit Jain, CEO for the firm’s international solar business, shared his experience from developed markets, and what it takes to be successful doing business overseas.

Subsidies from central and state bodies will help photovoltaics get within reach of similarly sponsored conventional electricity, which begs the question, why not remove subsidies for both?

Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) has invited bids for setting up cumulative 200 MW grid-connected solar PV power capacity in the state. The projects would be awarded based on tariff-based international competitive bidding.

Given its ambitious goal of 175 GW renewable power by 2022 and push for electric mobility, the country presents a potential investment opportunity of $50 billion in battery storage facilities.

The 10 MW grid-scale energy storage system at Tata Power Delhi Distribution’s Rohini Substation is also said to be South Asia’s largest.

The cost of wind would fall to Rs 2.3-2.6/kWh, while solar tariff would reduce to Rs 1.9-2.3/kWh. The cost of storage will fall by about 70%, according to a report.

The PV system was launched recently by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in partnership with STEAG Energy Services. It can provide 24-hour electricity even without grid connection, and is expected to generate around 10,000 kWh annually.

The project is one among 300 odd projects worth Rs 65,000 crore including solar parks to be launched during a ground breaking ceremony in Kanpur later this month.