Sunday, 3 December 2017

A Rapidly Shifting Paradigm



Last week we learned that Elon Musk won the bet  !


Of erecting / installing / commissioning a 100 MW capacity Lithium-ion Battery Storage facility in South Australia , in 100 days ( cost : $ 50 million ) or give it away FREE if not delivered in 100 days !


Now Bllomberg tells us  :







South Korea’s Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co is building a 150 MW lithium-ion Battery storage facility in Ulsan ( near South East coast )



But in 90 days  !   And for $ 45 million  !



At $ 0.3 million / MW , Hyundai facility will be 40 % cheaper than TESLA’s $ 0.5 million / MW 



All within 90 days  !



Next expect the Chinese to build a 1000 MW Battery Storage for just $ 200 Million ( @ $ 0.2 million / MW )



And in 60 days  !



Now with solar power prices dropping continuously ( @ 20 % per year from latest Rs 2.4 / kwh ) , it is a matter of few years before all of our coal-based power plants ( @ Rs 3.2 / kwh ) will become uncompetitive / unviable , to provide any kind of load balancing during peak / non peak hours



In any case , India is planning to generate 100 GW of solar power by 2022



BY 2022 , THIS COULD POSSIBLY COST US LESS THAN RE 1 / KWH  !



So , whatever solar power we could manage to generate when the sun is shining , we MUST store in batteries for use at night .



We have no choice but to go for huge Lithium-ion Battery Storage installations , all over India



Possibly , 1000 installations of 100 MW each ,to store those 100 GW of solar power !



Each installation ( on an average ) , costing $ 25 Million  ?  So , a total of $ 25 billion



IFC Report estimates that India needs to invest ( between 2018-30 ) , $ 448 Billion for Renewable Energy ( approx. $ 35 Billion every year )



If we do not plan for these large Battery Installations ( and invite global tenders NOW ) , how much of that Re 1 / kwh solar power ( generated during the day time ) will go waste ?



I hope Shri Piyush Goyalji / Shri R K Singhji / Shri Amitabh Kantji , will examine this




04  Dec  2017





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