Being infirm power because they are not produced continually, solar and wind energy pose threat to grid stability, and cause errant transmission congestion.
As Rajasthan is on course to achieve over 30,000 MW renewable energy by 2025, including 25,000 from solar alone, storage has to play key role, said World Resources Institute – India, along with Bask Research Foundation and Customised Energy Solutions which prepared a roadmap for the state.
It said renewable energy costs with battery storage solutions will come down with the increase in generation capacity. The study says integrating battery storage systems onto the grid could save up to Rs 1,400 crore of system level costs in Rajasthan.
As per its analysis, the levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) will come down from Rs 6.32 kWh to Rs 6.20 if the solar capacity increases to 25 GW. When the capacity increases to 35 GW, the LCOE will further come down to Rs 5.81 from Rs 5.97 kWh. In the case of 45GW, the LCOE will be lower at Rs 5.15 instead of Rs 5.20.
The study points out that integrating both Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS) and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a solar and wind energy-based power system is a feasible and economic pathway for Rajasthan’s clean energy future.
Releasing the report, A K Gupta, advisory (Energy), Rajasthan, said, “Solar hybrid solutions with pumped hydro or battery storage is the need of the hour for Rajasthan to harness the huge solar capacity, particularly for usage in peak load hours.”
The research findings were shared by Bharath Jairaj, executive director, Energy, WRI India, Sandhya Sundararagavan, Lead, Energy Transitions, WRI India, and Simran Grover, CEO, Bask Research and Rahul Walawalkar, president and managing director, Customised Energy Solutions.
The event concluded with the note that Rajasthan is poised to not just become a leader in renewable energy but will play a pivotal role in helping achieve India’s climate targets. The discussions and findings of the study have provided a roadmap for the state’s energy transformation and paved the way for a more sustainable future.
