Karnataka to optimise RE with storage support

The Karnataka government is making efforts to capitalise on its generation of renewable energy by boosting its storage capabilities to secure its growing requirement of power. A proposal to increase investments into creating more storage capacity is likely to be placed before the Basavaraj Bommai-led cabinet within the next few weeks. Karnataka is the leading Indian state in terms of renewable share in its total energy consumption.

“The process (boosting storage capabilities) is a little long and we have to convince everybody. It’s not regularly that we go for such procurement. That’s why we need to study this ourselves and this process is on. We should be able to try and convince our cabinet to go forward and this should be the path,” Kumar Naik, the additional chief secretary of the energy department, told.

The statements come at a time when Karnataka was able to successfully tide over the coal crisis that several of its counterparts faced, leading to load shedding and long power outages. According to data from the energy department, renewable energy accounts for 52% of the state’s power needs followed by thermal at 34%, hydro at 12% and nuclear at 3%.

“Storage means you don’t require it (energy) now but it is available. If I don’t use it or store it (energy), it goes waste. I can store it and use it when I require it,” the official added.

The state government is planning to go for a 1000 MW storage unit and another 2000 MW pump storage as stated in the Bommai-led BJP government’s budget for 2022-23.

Karnataka gets sunshine all year long and there have been efforts to harness this energy and put it back into the grid. But shortage of storage adds to the challenges of being able to retain this energy and use it at a later time.

In over a 100 thermal power plants across the country, coal stock has fallen below 25% and in over 50 plants, below 10%, as of April 20.

In comparison, Chhattisgarh’s dependence on coal is about 91% while Delhi’s stands at 86%, West Bengal at 82%, Uttar Pradesh at 72% and Maharashtra at 66%, according to data shared by the Karnataka energy department. Karnataka’s dependency on coal is about 34% currently.

Naik said storage investments are not very capital intensive in the long run. With rules on ancillary services linked to storage also in place now, storage operators could also look at multiple revenue opportunities while operating from the state.

As on date, Karnataka is the highest seller of green energy in the country with 2857.14 million units last fiscal, followed by neighbouring Telangana at 527.29 MU, data shows

In its Renewable Energy Policy, Karnataka has outlined plans to create infrastructure to develop or generate 10 Giga Watt of alternative energy sources and 1 GW of rooftop solar installations by 2027.

The Pavagada Solar Park in Tumakuru, about 70 kms from Bengaluru, is touted to be one of the largest in Asia and has a combined power generating capacity of over 2000 MW.