KREDL to set up battery storage systems for solar energy in Karnataka  

Energy that is generated and stored in these projects will be sold to electricity supply companies as and when necessary. In the future, when more systems are set up, KREDL also plans to sell the stored energy in open market at a price of ₹1 or ₹2 per unit 

In a bid to make a more economical use of solar energy, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) will set up solar battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Pavagada and Kalaburagi. 

The pilot project at the Pavagada Solar Park in Tumakuru district will have a 2 megwatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with a 2MW/4.5 MW/h battery storage system. It has been set up at a cost of ₹36 crore and is expected to be commissioned next month. The tender for the project was given to Nsure Reliable Power Solutions Private Limited in 2023 and so far, while all the major equipment required for the project has been delivered to the site, civil work is under way. 

How does solar BESS work?

The systems are being set up based on an order from the Union government which says that renewable energy should be stored in pumped storage and battery storage systems instead of being wasted.

“We generate solar energy in the daytime, and it is an intermittent resource. We must utilise it when it is generated, but we usually need this energy in the evening. Hence, around 30 to 50% of energy that is generated in the plant during daytime will be stored in the BESS. The energy will then be released into the grid whenever necessary,” a senior official from KREDL explained.

The BESS, which will be set up in Kalaburagi, will be on a larger scale than the pilot project. While the ground mounted solar PV plant will have a capacity of 100 MW, the BESS will have a capacity of 100/130 MW/h. “The estimated cost for the project is around ₹500 crore and the tender process is in progress,” the official said.  

The energy that is generated and stored in these projects will be sold to electricity supply companies (escoms) as and when necessary. In the future, when more systems are set up, KREDL also plans to sell the stored energy in open market at a price of ₹1 or ₹2 per unit. 

“Right now, we need the energy for our grid and we will be providing it to escoms. But when we have more hydroelectricity (hydel) in the State, then we might not need solar energy so much and that is when we will sell it in the open market,” the official said. 

In August, KREDL also invited tenders to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) to set up a 250 MW solar plant with a 250 MW/500 MW/h BESS in Ryapte village in Pavagada. Sources said that KREDL has not made a decision yet about setting up the BESS there.  

As of this August, Karnataka has 8,904.14 MW commissioned capacity of solar energy and 34.70 MW of solar-wind hybrid energy.

Published - October 14, 2024 07:00 am IST