To integrate a targeted 500GW of non-fossil fuel energy onto its networks by 2030, at least 160GWh of energy storage will be needed in India by that time, according to the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

 

This energy storage capacity would include front-of-the-meter grid-scale storage, storage for integrating renewable energy directly, storage for distribution and transmission networks and for ancillary services provision to balance the grid, according to a new report from the Alliance. 

 

IESA was founded by energy consultancy Customized Energy Solutions 10 years ago to promote the advancement of energy storage, green hydrogen and e-mobility technologies in India and now has hundreds of member organisations.

 

The group has just published the VISION 2030 report, based on analysis of India’s energy sector. As the name implies, VISION 2030 outlines the requirement for energy storage in the country as well as recommended actions for both policymakers and private companies to achieve its goals.

 

Indian Ministry of Power joint secretary Ghanshyam Prasad contributed a foreword to the report, pointing out the vital role energy storage will play in ensuring safe and reliable grid operation as shares of renewable energy increase.

 

“It is imperative for India to assess its storage capacity requirement in the coming years and formulate a plan for its implementation, keeping in view the energy transition in the Indian grid,” Prasad wrote.

 

Non-fossil fuel generation in the country has already reached 156.83GW, or 40.1% of the total generation mix, while peak demand for energy as of July 2021 exceeded 200GW.

 

The authors noted the many efforts to promote energy storage that have already been made, which began in around 2013 but have gathered pace rapidly since 2018. The most recent developments include Ministry of Power procurement and utilisation guidelines, and a pilot tender for 500MW/1,000MWh of standalone storage from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

 

From peaker plant replacements to frameworks for renewables-plus-storage tenders

 

International energy market dynamics, such as the volatility of pricing for gas and questions around availability of coal further highlight the importance of acting promptly however, the report said.

 

As grid reliability becomes an issue at renewable penetration exceeds 50% – the threshold India is set to reach by 2030 – the country has what VISION 2030 described as a “unique opportunity” to establish itself as both a major market for energy storage deployment and as a manufacturing centre for related technologies.

 

From recent government measures to support 50GWh of new advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery annual production capacity in the country, roughly 10,000 employment opportunities would be created for every gigawatt-hour of that production capacity, IESA estimated.

 

From analysis of the energy sector the IESA team arrived at the 160GWh figure and offered its recommendations on how to get there:

 

• Peaker plants, which run on fossil fuels and are only called into action at times of peak demand, should be replaced by 2030-2035 with clean energy assets, which might include combinations of renewable energy with storage.
• A comprehensive energy storage policy that includes phased targets for deployment and long-term planning strategies should be introduced.
• Energy storage targets should not be limited to renewable energy integration applications alone and should be applied across the entire value chain from ancillary services and peak power to deferral of investment in transmission and distribution (T&D) upgrades.
• A unified procurement framework for energy storage should be created.
• A fund should be set up to support the deployment of large-scale storage in the near term, from which learnings can be made to enable successful future developments.
• Planning for India’s optimal generation mix should incorporate energy storage.
• Studies should be carried out to determine India’s energy storage targets.
• A three to five-year “pipeline” for tendering of renewables-plus-storage resources should be created to offer confidence to the industry to invest in manufacturing and capacity building.
• According to IESA, only about 28MW/20MWh of front-of-the-meter (FTM) grid-scale storage was deployed in India across seven projects as of March 2021. By the end of last year, projects that had reached financial close and were in the construction phase reached 360MW/312MWh.

 

However, despite that growth many projects still face delays in implementation, due to factors like lack of financial support and the challenging nature of signing power purchase agreements (PPAs) with states.

 

Indeed, many Indian states appear reluctant to embrace energy storage despite their growing renewable energy capacity, and mandated targets for deployment would give drive and certainty to project development as well as to investments in manufacturing and other aspects of the energy storage industry ecosystem, IESA said.

 

A small handful of national and state governments around the world already have energy storage deployment targets such as Greece and Spain in Europe and 10 US states. A similar recent report from the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) found that Europe could need 600GW of storage by 2050.

 

In Australia, experts at the Victorian Energy Policy Centre (VEPC) have proposed that a A$20 billion fund to invest in renewable energy integration pledged by the country’s new government should use it to back an energy storage target policy. 

 

The full report can be downloaded from the IESA site, here.

 

Domestic industry body IESA and KOTRA of Korea have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly work in the field of energy storage and e-mobility. As part of the MoU, the two bodies will exchange knowledge and information, establish best practices, and create new business opportunities in the South Korean and Indian energy storage and e-mobility markets for their respective members.

 

In a statement on Thursday, the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) said the MoU was on signed on June 14.

 

The MoU will remain in effect for a period of three years from the date of signing, according to the statement.

 

''India's energy storage industry, which is the key means of renewable energy development and eco-friendliness, is expected to develop significantly, and with this opportunity, we will strive to expand exchanges between energy storage companies in Korea and India,'' said Donghyun Rhee, DG, KOTRA, Mumbai.

 

Reacting to the development, IESA President Rahul Walawalkar said Korea is a global leader in advanced energy storage research and manufacturing and India is emerging as one of the largest markets for advanced energy storage technologies.

 

''IESA has set a vision to make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, and adoption of advanced energy storage and e-mobility technologies. In this regard, MoU with KOTRA is an important milestone for exploring active technology collaborations and sharing of best practices amongst Korean and Indian companies,'' he said.

 

Korea Trade & Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is the national trade and investment promotion agency of South Korea that facilitates international business cooperation of Korean companies.

 

IESA is a leading industry alliance focused on the development of advanced energy storage, green hydrogen, and e-mobility technologies in India.

Increasing cost of fuel and the attractive incentives being offered by the centre and various state governments for the production and purchase of electric vehicles are anticipated to drive the electric vehicle growth in India. This is evident from the fact that recently, during the India Energy Storage Week (IESW)2022, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH) said that in the next five years, it is expected that all vehicles will be electric.

 

It is believed that EV market growth in India is expected to be greater than global growth percentages. According to a report, the Indian electric vehicle market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 94.4 per cent from 2021 to 2030, making it recognized asone of the prominentregions in the automotive industry globally. It was valued at $ 220.1 million in 2020.

 

Further, as of 2021, there were around eight electric vehicle models in the market. Currently, the industry is focusing on reducing the cost leading to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) that would result in successful penetration in the mass market of India.

 

According to Sanyam Pusri, technical marketing manager at Samsung SDI America in Michigan, USA specializes in Lithium ion batteries development that are being used in electric cars like (Tesla), If India wants to lead theEV spectrumit would have to focus on three aspects namely Research and development advancement, ways to manufacture cheaper lithium-ion batteries, and control over the raw material supply chain. These are three critical aspects that would dictate the leader in this global market.

 

Research and development advancement

 

The cost of Lithium Batteries comprises 30 per cent of the total cost of an EV. Researching cheaper alternative materials can help expand the realm further into the market. Since these batteries carry high energy with them, novel techniques for safety are essential too. As for Longevity, the Lithium Batteries should have a total lifetime of approximately 5 Lakh Kilometers, according to Sanyam Pusri, a graduate from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh (2017) and a Post-graduate from San Jose State University, California (USA), and now an employee at Samsung SDI. He has done research towards employing low-cost materials and optimizing the electrochemical reactions inside the batteries for greater performance. He focuses his technical expertise on the local US and European automakers (GM, Chrysler, Ford, Audi, BMW, Harley Davidson) for electrifying their fleet.

 

Setting up local Battery manufacturing

 

The majority of world economies are shifting towards localizing large Battery manufacturing factories (also called Gigafactories). The primary reason behind this is to cut down on shipping costs, faster manufacturing, and self-reliance aka “Aatmnirbhar”. Since the Indian EV market is in its nascent stage, a 5GWh factory is a good starting point.

 

Raw material supply

 

In today’s scenario, the Majority of essential raw materials (Lithium, Nickel, and Cobalt) come from countries like Russia, Australia, Chile, Philippines, Zimbabwe, and Republic of Congo. These are exported to China for processing and Battery makers like (Panasonic, LG energy Storage, CATL, and Samsung SDI) utilize this to manufacture the batteries that are used in the EVs. During a phase of political instability, the supply chain may be disrupted. Therefore, it becomes essential for a nation to secure its own supply chain.

 

 

 

MoEVing Urban Technologies Pvt. Ltd, which operates electric mobility technology platform, MoEVing Wednesday said it has secured an additional funding of $5 million (around Rs 38.6 crore) through a mix of equity and debt, as a part of its seed round.

 

The firm plans to use the fresh funds to ramp up its technology vertical and expand to 30 cities. It also aims to scale to 10,000 electric vehicles and add four wheelers to its fleet. 

 

The latest fund-raising round saw participation from BeyondTeq Venture Capital, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East family offices, Stride One Capital, TradeCred, N+1 Capital, Nazara Tech’s Nitish Mittersain and others. 

 

Founded in January 2021 by Vikash Mishra and Mragank Jain, MoEVing, on the demand side, provides solutions to e-commerce, e-grocery, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), logistics and direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies to optimize their logistics costs and reduce carbon emissions.  

 

On the supply side, the platform works with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), driver cum owners and financial institutions to address constraints that are coming in the way of EV adoption.

 

Last year in December, MoEVing raised $5 million from various angel investors. The round included the $1 million raised by the platform earlier in a seed funding. 

 

“BeyondTeq always seeks ideas to keep our planet’s future as the top priority. MoEVing is at the forefront of India’s climate tech initiative. Their professional focus and powerful ecosystem approach to accelerate the electrification of mobility has been deeply impressive,” said Aadil Alexander, founder of BeyondTeq Ventures.

 

“With an increasing push from the Indian government, electric mobility has gained strong momentum in India and last mile intra-city logistics is the first market to get electrified. MoEVing’s driver-centric platform that is agnostic to OEM, vehicle type, and charging technology is redefining the entire intra-city last mile logistics,” said Abhinav Suri, co-founder, Stride One. 

 

Ankit Sharma, partner N+1 Capital said, “MoEVing’s technology and data focus, full stack solution and strong focus on building a scalable organization with strong systems and processes is transformative”. 

 

EV-focused startups have been garnering investors' interest for the past few months. As per CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) study, the EV market in India will be a $206 billion opportunity by 2030.

 

Last month, EV-based last-mile delivery service provider Zypp Electrics raised $1 million (around Rs 7 crore) in debt funding from Northern Arc. Last week, Jindal Worldwide forayed into the electric vehicle space with the acquisition of Mumbai-based EV startup Earth Energy via its subsidiary Jindal Mobilitric for an undisclosed amount.  

 

Another report by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) projects that the Indian EV market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36% till 2026.

India is at the cusp of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution and the country now needs innovative ways to use renewable energy for battery storage, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said here on Wednesday.

The battery technology will be in high demand by 2030, bolstering the 'Make in India' initiative.

"In the next five years, it is expected that all vehicles will be electric. I encourage everyone involved in the electric vehicle business to work together for the betterment of the country by developing innovative solutions for a clean and green future," Gadkari said during the 'India Energy Storage Week 2022 event - organised by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

 

The minister said that the standardisation of batteries can accelerate EV adoption.

 

"We also need standardisation for battery energy storage systems. Automobiles will be a vital industry in the coming years, and battery technology will be in high demand," he added.

 

With the growing renewable energy sector, demand for energy storage systems is expected to rise in the coming years.

 

The energy storage industry is predicted to develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 24 per cent.

 

According to the IESA estimates, the Indian EV industry would expand at a CAGR of 36 per cent till 2026. During the period, the EV battery market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 30 per cent.

 

"Since the future of e-mobility and its impact on the environment is a global concern, there is a significant need for appropriate e-mobility norms and regulations to enhance the ecosystem and make it a viable option for people," said Dr Rahul Walawalkar, MD, Customized Energy Solutions (CES) and President, IESA India.

 

The IESA aims to make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, and adoption of advanced energy storage, e-mobility, and green hydrogen technologies.

 

 

In a bid to accelerate the adoption of energy storage, e-Mobility, green hydrogen & microgrids in India, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), India’s leading industry alliance is all set to host its flagship annual hybrid conference and exhibition, ‘India Energy Storage Week (IESW)’ from May 1 – 6, along with pre–conference workshops starting from May 2, 2022. The hybrid conference and expo will be held at Pragati Maidan and Hotel Lalit, New Delhi.

 

The IESW is a one-of-a-kind learning and collaboration platform that brings together key policymakers, innovators, thought leaders, researchers, leading companies, government agencies and stakeholders from around the world to discuss the policies framework, market transformation strategies, and technology and business-model driven transformations. The 5-day long event will feature thought-provoking sessions on Stationary Storage, Energy Storage Tender and Projects, Electric Mobility, Raw Materials and Supply Chain, Green Hydrogen, Manufacturing, Skill Development and Capacity Building and more.

 

Commenting on the upcoming event Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director, IESA said, “Developing domestic supply chain for Advanced Energy storage technologies is critical for meeting India’s ambitious decarbonization targets for 2030. The Indian economy is growing and with the recent focus on manufacturing, e-mobility, and green hydrogen, we welcome Honourable Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi’s ambitious targets. With the ACC Battery Manufacturing PLI scheme, India’s domestic industry now has an opportunity to become a part of the global ecosystem. Through IESW, we aim to bring the policy makers, national and global industry leaders, and all key stakeholders together to deliberate and discuss on the challenges and opportunities in the sector. This industry event will serve as a platform to make India a global leader in research, manufacturing, and adoption of advanced energy storage, microgrid, hydrogen, and e-mobility technologies.”

 

Starting on May 2, Tech Tours will be held at the BRPL’s DT level BESS project and SCADA Control Centre to manage 6 BESS Projects at various DT Sub-stations, AES & Tata Power 10 MW- 10 MWh Energy Storage Project (by AES, Mitsubishi and Fluence Energy), Nexcharge – Tata Power Grid Connected Community Energy Storage project, Load balancing EV charging station pilot project at BYPL and Energy Storage Platform on Batteries (ESPOB) by DST- IIT Delhi to gain insights into the various energy storage and e-Mobility projects and understand the successful implementation of the solutions used in the industry. On the same day, the event will also host various deep dive workshops on energy storage technologies, applications, finance modelling, session on challenges and methodologies around charging interfaces, energy access and microgrids and battery fire safety workshop. The sessions will provide attendees with in-depth understanding of modern technologies and solutions by allowing them to learn from the hands-on experience of industry professionals. The day will also host Roundtable on FLCTD Innovation Challenge on Electrical Energy Storage Systems in association with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for start-ups in the energy storage, e-mobility, clean energy, and clean transportation sectors. On the 3rd of May, the event will have seminar on Manufacturing that includes sessions on CEO Roundtable, Guided Expo Tour and Awards night and IESA’S 10TH Foundation Day Gala Dinner. On 4th May, the event will have seminar on e-Mobility and that includes Buyer – Seller Meet and Founders round table. On 5th of May, the event will have seminars on Stationary Storage while Green Hydrogen sessions are on 6th May.

 

IESW was founded in 2019 as the annual conference and expo of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) to promote and implement energy storage, e-mobility, and green hydrogen technologies for a sustainable future. It is India’s leading B2B networking and business event dedicated to renewable energy, innovative batteries, alternative energy storage solutions, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, green hydrogen, and the microgrid ecosystem. The upcoming edition of IESW is projected to draw a global audience with the goal of facilitating bi-lateral commerce, with 20+ nations, 50+ regulators and policymakers, 50+ partners and exhibitors, 1000+ delegates, and 10,000+ visitors scheduled to attend. The event is supported by NITI Aayog, Government of Norway as a nation partner, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Department of Chemicals & Petro-Chemicals and Ministry of Power. The event is also partnered by conglomerates like Exicom Tele-Systems, Fluence, Epsilon Advanced Material, Matter, Accure, PFC, LOG9 Materials, Gautam Solar, BASF, Accure, Atotec, Gautam Solar, Phoenix Contact, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, AMP, Eos Energy Enterprises, Keysight Technologies, Neogen Technologies, NASH, BRY-AIR, DURR, Malvarn Panalytical, Taitron, and Greenfuel Energy Solutions to name a few among others.

 

The 6th IESA Industry Excellence Awards will also be held at IESW on 3rd May in association with Earth Day Network. IESA Industry Excellence Awards was started in 2017, an initiative to recognize the perseverance, innovation and achievements of organizations involved in the energy storage landscape in India. These awards celebrate the value these organizations have created for the end consumers in the country. In 2020, IESA Industry Excellence Awards expanded the market segments and award categories to include EV charging infrastructure, Microgrids, along Energy storage and Electric vehicles markets. With this, IESA aims to acknowledge all the companies & industry stalwarts, those who have made their mark in the industry during the past year through technology innovation, market leadership, competitive strategy etc.

Amid multiple cases of electric two-wheelers catching fire, experts said there is a need to focus on safety and frequent testing of battery packs in realtime conditions. Experts added that one can understand any technology better only when tested and used in the real world.

 

"When we talk about electric vehicles (EVs), the battery is a critical tech component. It is important that there is good monitoring and safety surrounding the use of battery packs used in lithium-ion batteries, that has enabled e-mobility transition," said Rahul Walawalkar, President at Indi Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

 

Also, Sohinder Singh Gill, chief executive of Hero Electric and director-general of the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV), raised an important question on the measure to be taken on batteries in scooters that are already in customers' homes. "There is a need to decide whether to live with or recall battery packs that have already been sold to customers. Dealerships need to be equipped with resources to periodically check customers' batteries," he said.

 

Gill added that EVs need to give customers a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to keeping batteries safe. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must not brush the issue under the carpet and must recall batteries if there are safety concerns.

 

Backing Gill and Walawalkar, Som Kapoor, EY India, said that testing in real-life conditions over a period of time is important for any new technology. "We can understand any technology better only when tested and used in the real world," he said.

 

The government plans to impose heavy penalties and mandate recalls if EV companies are found to be negligent, as part of new "quality-centric" rules, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.

Gadkari had tweeted that the safety of every commuter is a priority for the government. "Several mishaps involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the last two months. If any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered," Gadkari had said.

 

In recent weeks, there have been close to a dozen cases of e-scooters catching fire or being involved in them, including one made by SoftBank Group-backed Ola Electric, sparking safety concerns among some buyers.

 

Scooters involving Indian start-ups Okinawa and PureEV have also been involved in fire incidents. The government has already launched an investigation into the fires and Gadkari said a committee of experts has been formed to make recommendations on remedial steps.

To view the entire interview, click- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXzIl2WwiN4

The government-controlled Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has launched a 500MW/1,000MWh pilot tender for large-scale standalone battery storage.

 

SECI issued a Request for Selection (RFS) document yesterday, seeking to procure the battery energy storage systems (BESS) through a tariff-based competitive bidding process. It is expected to be the first stage in a procurement drive for 4,000MWh of BESS in total.

 

The corporation, as its name suggests, is responsible for promoting solar energy in India as an arm of the National Solar Mission, and is administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

 

In order to support the deployment and integration of 500GW of new non-fossil fuel energy capacity, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has modelled a need for 27GW/108GWh of battery storage by 2029-2030, in addition to 10,151MW of pumped hydro energy storage. 

 

The tender is for two BESS projects at a single site, which is at Fatehgarh-III substations in the state of Rajasthan. Land will be provided on a leasing/right-to-use basis, facilitated by SECI in agreement with the Transmission Licensee.

 

The systems will connect directly to India’s inter-state transmission system (ISTS) with an aggregate capacity of 1,000MWh, comprising two-hour duration systems. Bidding entities may propose to build one or both of the 250MW/500MWh projects sought. 

 

SECI will enter into a battery energy storage purchase agreement (BESPA) with winning bidders. The corporation said it has received interest from prospective buying entities that want to be able to use energy storage to deliver power on-demand, during both peak and off-peak times.

 

Selected systems will be delivered on a build, own, operate and transfer basis and once commissioned, SECI intends to act as intermediary for use of the BESS and for charging-discharging.

 

The tender is for new facilities only. An end date for submissions of 10 June 2022 has been set, with bids to open five days later.

 

Sector poised for rapid growth

SECI signalled that it was preparing to launch the tender in October last year. Other large-scale tenders hosted directly by government entities are also expected, while a state-owned power company, NTPC, is already hosting its own 1,000MWh tender process.

 

SECI contract manager Pratik Prasun said via social media site LinkedIn that the public procurement tender is a “first-of-its-kind concept in India, where two of the most important use cases of BESS will be tested on a large-scale,” drawing readers’ attention to a pre-bid meeting to be held on 6 May.

 

India’s energy storage market is poised for rapid growth, with support from government lining up with growing private sector interest. As noted by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) industry group, there is only about 85MWh of grid-connected BESS online or under construction in the country so far, but a solid pipeline of 4.6GWh, including tendered for and announced projects exists.

 

This has recently led global players in the energy storage technology provider and system integrator space like Fluence and Powin Energy to enter the market. Both have partnered with major domestic players in the renewables space.

 

 In a recent interview, Powin Energy executive VP Danny Lu told Energy-Storage.news that the importance of strong local partners with a deep knowledge of the Indian energy sector cannot be overstated. Lu said that Powin’s local partner, O2 Power, will be responsible for entering bids into tenders like those launched by NTPC and SECI.