Rs 30,000 Crore Solar, Wind Plus Pump Storage Project to Come up in Rajasthan

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Rajasthan is all set to develop a Rs 30,000 crore hybrid project with 4.5 GW of wind & solar assets and a 2520 MW pump hydro storage project

A leader in renewable energy potential and uptake, the state of Rajasthan is all set to develop a new Rs 30,000 crore hybrid clean energy project that will enable the solar and wind energy rich state to store excess energy generated by clean energy sources. The state government has been advancing to establish the first of its kind Hybrid Project that will have solar, wind to generate clean and green energy and pump hydro storage project to store the energy.

The state has been promoting power storage solutions under the Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy 2019. And the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) has received several proposals for energy storage projects following the policy incentives. 

The corporation has accepted the proposal made by Greenko to develop the hybrid project which will consist of a 3600 MW solar project(s) and 900 MW wind asset which will be paired with a 2520 MW Pump Hydro Storage Plant. The solar and wind projects will be set up in Pali and Jaisalmer; and Pump Hydro Storage will be set up in Shahpur, Baran District of the state.

The total cost of the project as per RRECL is Rs 30,000 crore, of which the pumped hydro storage project will be constructed at the cost of Rs 11,882 Crore.

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Dr. Subodh Agarwal (IAS), CMD of RRECL said, “among the projects seeking the policy advantage is a hydropower-based storage project proposed to be developed in Baran district of the state. The excess solar-generated electricity will be used to pump water in a reservoir at a designated height. The potential energy of the water will be reclaimed using turbine-driven generators. It will be the first of its kind integrated project in the country with a combination of solar, wind and hydropower for uninterrupted power supply.”

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The storage facility will be a Standalone pumped storage project of 2520 MW. It will use 1.7 TMC of water but will not be consuming water as the same will be cycled between the top and bottom reservoirs. Even as the storage facility is fractional of the production capacity, it brings a new dawn to the solar energy sector. 

The stored energy can help bridge over the intermittency of the electricity supply capacity from solar power and wind power farms which can vary with the varying weather conditions. The storage unit will help as a backup and help in ensuring incessant supply. Also as and when required, the stored units can compensate for low electricity production in evening hours. 

Anil Chalamalasetty, Founder, MD & CEO of Greenko Group said, “the firm is thankful to the Government of Rajasthan for recognising the importance and potential of Pumped Storage solutions and the numerous benefits they would bring to the state besides offering lowest cost energy storage solutions compared numerous technologies globally available today. The Project when completed by 2023-24 would be “World’s Largest Renewable Energy Asset” and strengthen and contribute immensely to Rajasthan’s efforts as a model state in the adoption of solutions for a sustainable future.”

Further adding that “GreenKo’s vision for a sustainable Indian energy future is based on Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Projects (IRESPs) that combine Wind Energy, Solar Energy, Pumped Storage capacity with Intelligent Energy Platforms deployed as a sharing platform to transform the renewables into a firm, schedulable and dispatchable new energy thus paving the way for achieving energy security for Rajasthan and India. The IRESPs will ensure achieving long-term stability and reduction of electricity prices by ~20 percent nationally while enabling grid stability, security and feasibility for a future of deep decarbonisation of the Indian energy sector.”

Notably, the Rajasthan Government has set the target of 30,000 MW solar power projects upto 2024-25. The generated power will be used by Discoms or other entities to meet their demand and for the fulfilment of the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) as determined by RERC under the solar policy. The state also aims to develop solar power projects for the sale of power to parties other than Discoms of Rajasthan and for captive consumption, within and outside the state.