The government also plans to call bids for setting up around 4GWh of the grid-scale battery storage system at the regional load dispatch centres
Union power and new and renewable energy minister Raj Kumar Singh has revealed that the Centre plans to set up around 14 gigawatt-hour (GWh) grid-scale battery storage system at Khavda in Gujarat which is the world’s largest renewable energy park, reported Livemint.
The report that this decision will help make India’s grid-scale battery storage programme the largest in the world, as it follows another plan of the ministry to invite bids for the largest global tender for setting up a 13GWh grid-scale battery storage system in Ladakh.
“The highest installed storage capacity in the world is a measly 400 megawatt-hour (MWh),” Singh said at the Mint Energyscape conclave.
“But the first major bid that I am coming out with is 1,000 megawatt-hour—two-and-a-half times the largest capacity in the world. But that also is not sufficient. Only for my national grid-level operations I will need 4,000 megawatt-hour.”
The government also plans to call bids for setting up around 4GWh of the grid-scale battery storage system at the regional load dispatch centres. In addition, state-run NTPC Ltd has floated a global tender for setting up a 1GWh grid-scale battery storage system.
“I am going to do it big because 1,000 megawatt-hour is a starter. Ultimately, it will go up to 4,000 megawatt-hour. Then in Leh-Ladakh, I am setting up 10,000MW of renewable energy capacity, so I am adding about 13,000 megawatt-hour of storage there. And then in Khavda again, about 10,000-15,000MW of RE (renewable energy) capacity will come up, so I am going to add another about 13-14,000 megawatt-hour of storage there,” Singh said.
According to the government, the Khavda renewable energy park in Kutch will be the world’s largest and will finally generate 30GW of clean energy.
Spread over 72,600 hectares, it will need ₹1.5 trillion investment. The foundation stone of the park was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December.
India has already crossed 100GW of installed solar and wind capacity, with another 63GW under construction.
The plan is to have 175GW renewable energy capacity by 2022 and 450GW by 2030. This huge injection of electricity in the grid from sources such as solar and wind requires a storage mechanism that can help balance the national electricity grid.
According to the Central Electricity Authority, there will be a need for 27GW of grid-scale battery energy storage systems by 2030 with four hours of storage.
