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Volume 7 - Issue 2 – Mar-Apr 2020 – Pages 84 – `250 OFFICIAL PARTNER

Time to Rise for Earth 30

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INDIA ENERGY STORAGE WEEK INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION ON ENERGY STORAGE, EV & MICROGRIDS IN INDIA Mumbai | 02 Nov – 06 Nov 2020

2nd Nov | Monday

3rd Nov | Tuesday

Pre-Conference Workshop / Masterclass

Energy Storage & EV, R&D Summit

IESA Annual Members Meeting & Networking Dinner

4th Nov | Wednesday

Nov| Thursday 5th5th Nov Thursday

International Conference & Expo

International Conference & Expo

CXO Roundtable

Women in EV & Energy Storage Forum

IESA Industry Excellence Awards & Gala Dinner

Buyer-Seller Meet

Exhibition

6th Nov | Friday

Energy Storage & EV Investment Summit Start Up Competition

Exhibition

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INDIA ENERGY STORAGE WEEK

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION ON ENERGY STORAGE, EV & MICROGRIDS IN INDIA

IESA Annual Members Meeting & Networking Dinner

Mumbai | 02 Nov – 06 Nov 2020

2nd Nov | Monday

3rd Nov | Tuesday

Energy Storage & EV, R&D Summit

Pre-Conference Workshop / Masterclass

4th Nov | Wednesday

5th Nov | Thursday

6th Nov | Friday

International Conference & Expo

International Conference & Expo

Energy Storage & EV Investment Summit

Exhibition

Exhibition

CALL FOR ABSTRACT TOPICS ON ENERGY STORAGE & ELECTRIC VEHICLE Energy Storage Technologies (Lead Acid, Adv. Lead acid, Lithium Ion, Flow Battery, Metal- air, Sodium Based batteries, etc.)

Beyond Batteries (Fuel cell, Capacitor, thermal storage, mechanical storage etc.)

Energy Storage Applications Renewable Integration, Solar-Wind-Storage Hybrids, Rooftop Solar + Storage Ancillary services, Grid Applications, Energy Storage for Utilities Critical Infrastructure (Data center, IT Offices, Hospitals) C&I Applications (Hotels, Shopping Malls, SEZs, Townships) Telecom Towers, Railways, Defense

Emerging Applications (Drones, UAVs, satellites, Medical Devices, Portable and Wearable electronics)

Manufacturing, Innovation, cutting edge research & Development Safety – Standards – Testing and Certification Recycling – Reuse and Second life of Batteries Energy Storage Software, PCS, BMS, EMS, Thermal Management, Inverter Energy Storage & EV Components, Raw Materials, Equipment & Machineries Electric Mobility (EV 2W, 3W, e-rickshaws, electric cars, E-Bus, commercial & passenger vehicles) Hybrid Vehicle, Alternate Fuel based vehicle, Beyond Road transports & material handling equipment Charging Infrastructure, Swapping Models

Microgrid, Off-Grid Solutions and Rural Electrifications

EV Fleet Operators, EV Management Platforms

Smart Grid, Smart Cities, Smart Utilities

Investment & Financing in Energy Storage Projects & Early Stage companies

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4

CONTENTS

Volume 7 – Issue 2 • March-April 2020

COVER STORY

24

BOOK REVIEW

73

36

IESA WEBINAR

54

40

CORONA IMPACT 64

NEO ENTRY | March-April 2020

INSIDE TECHNOLOGY

68

BATTERY STORAGE

5 30

46

7

EXPERT'S NOTE

9

FROM THE EDITOR

12

NATIONAL NEWS

18

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

EARTH DAY SPECIAL

24 Green charging the clean earth drive 30 Interview: Karuna Singh, India Director, EDN

CORONA IMPACT INTERVIEW 62

LEADERSHIP SPEAK 70

32 36 40 41 42 43 44

Impact on solar and storage sector Impact on electricity Utilities: webinar highlights First made-in-India test kit Isolation wards on track ICC centers for emergency ops Low-cost Pran-Vayu ventilator Jeevtronics’ SanMitra 1000 HCT

LEADERSHIP SPEAK 46 Vikramadithya Gourineni, MD, Amara Raja 50 Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI

INSIDE TECHNOLOGY 54 Gravity based storage

E-MOBILITY

RD&D

STATE FOCUS 58 Maharashtra power sector

66

76

E-MOBILITY 62 Inner workings of an EV

NEO ENTRY 64 Cellestial E-Mobility e-tractor

BATTERY STORAGE 66 Battery Swapping 68 Li-ion battery recycling

BATTERY STORAGE

POWER

RD&D 70 Indian labs establish global competitiveness 74 Global Battery R&D and Investments

EVENT REPORT

BOOK REVIEW 73 Bottled Lightning by Seth Fletcher

POWER 76 Universal electrification in rural India

EVENT REPORT 79 ISUW 2020 completes sixth edition 80 Hands-on Li-ion cell fabrication workshop

80

82

COMPANY / ADVT INDEX / IMPRINT

March-April 2020 |

Leverage international partnerships for a global Leverage international presence partnerships for a global presence

Showcase your product, solutions and services to product, your Showcase audience targeted solutions and services to targeted audience

Policy & Regulatory Advocacy on Energy Storage, EV & Policy & Regulatory Advocacy Micro-grids on Energy Storage, EV & Micro-grids

Knowledge Platform (webinars, masterclass, trainings and (webinars, Platformprograms) Knowledge capacity building masterclass, trainings and capacity building programs) 25+ Networking Events to help grow your business 25+ Networking Events to help grow your business

Showcase your product, solutions and services to targeted audience

Market Research and Strategy support Market Research and Strategy support

Leverage international Assistance for Government and public/private partnerships for Tenders a global Assistance for Government projects presence and public/private Tenders projects

IESA ADVANTAGE IESA ADVANTAGE

Policy & Regulatory Advocacy on Energy Storage, EV & Micro-grids

Knowledge Platform (webinars, masterclass, trainings and capacity building programs)

IESA works in three major verticals 25+ Networking Events to help grow your business IESA works in three major verticals

IESA

POLICY & ADVOCACY POLICYCouncil & ADVOCACY Leadership working group

Market Research and Strategy support

which are which are for Government Assistance Tenders and public/private projects

IESA ADVANTAGE PROJECTS IESA supports

PROJECTS various tender

authorities to

IESA

PROGRAMMES PROGRAMMES organizes various capacity

building

IESA Leadership Council working members continuously work with stategroup and

IESA supports to create energy various storage tender tendersauthorities in India and

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members continuously work withtostate and central government authorities create

create energy tenderstoincreate India and also works with storage private parties the

workshops, seminars the and webinars for its members throughout year.

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three national conference EV Conclave, Indialevel Energy Storage called Policy as Forum

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help its and member companies intervention support. intervention and support.

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policy

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In addition to Storage this, IESATechnology also organizes Energy addition this,(www.esiexpo.in), IESA also organizes Storage to India an Energy annual Storage IndiaConference (www.esiexpo.in), an annual International and Exhibition International Conference and Exhibition

IESA outreach channels include Weekly Newsletters, Emerging Technology News (ETN) magazine, Emerging Tech Radio podcast and IESA outreach Newsletters, (ETN)associations magazine, Emerging Tech Radio podcast and various Industrychannels reports. include IESA hasWeekly strategic alliancesEmerging with 20+Technology global andNews national including China National Energy various Alliance Industry (CNESA), reports. IESA hasStorage strategic alliances with 20+ global and national associations including China National Energy Storage Energy Association (ESA), California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), Germany Energy Storage Storage Alliance (CNESA), Energy Storage Association (ESA), California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), Germany Energy Storage Alliance (BVES), Energy Storage Canada (ESC), Australian Energy Storage Alliance (AESA) and many more.

POLICY & ADVOCACY PROJECTS PROGRAMMES Alliance (BVES), Energy Storage Canada (ESC), Australian Energy Storage Alliance (AESA) and many more. group

IESA supports various tender authorities to

IESA organizes various capacity building

Powered by: continuously work with state and members

IESA

Leadership

create energy storage tenders in India and

workshops, seminars and webinars for its

central government authorities to create

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members throughout the year. It also organizes

energy storage policies for India. It has also

business cases for energy storage projects.

three national level conference called as EV

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Conclave, India Energy Storage Policy Forum India Energy Storage Alliance, C/O Customized Energy Solutions India Pvt Ltd

India Storage Alliance, C/O Customized Energy Solutions India–Pvt and Energy Technology A 501, 5thEnergy Floor I G.O. Square, Aundh –Storage Hinjewadi Link Road,Summit.

Wakad,In Pune 411Ltd 057 A 501, 5th Floor I G.O. Square, Aundh – Hinjewadi Link Road, Wakad, Pune – 411 057 addition to this, IESA also organizes Energy E - contact@indiaesa.info www.indiaesa.info E - contact@indiaesa.info Storage India (www.esiexpo.in), an www.indiaesa.info annual

International Conference and Exhibition

EXPERT'S NOTE

7

Networking towards a cleaner globe I hope all ETN readers are home and safe as the world battles the unprecedented challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all health workers, doctors, professionals, engineers, security and service personnel who are putting their life at risk to keep all of us safe and the nation strong. Thank you and we will get through this together!

This is a special issue of ETN as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the movement started by Earth Day, celebrated around the globe on April 22.The year 1970 saw the birth of a revolution that was soon to become a global phenomenon; something that changed existing mind-sets and established new norms. From its relatively humble beginnings the concept of Earth Day has come a long way, evolving into a modern environmental movement on a global scale. It has come to signify a common platform to address environmental concerns that impact all of us.

For this issue, IESA and ETN have partnered with Earth Day Network to celebrate Earth Day with the underlying theme to move towards Clean Transport and Clean Energy.

Renewable energy has now reached a stage where it can compete with fossil fuel without subsidies

Dr Rahul Walawalkar President-IESA Managing Director-CES India

Over the past decade we have made tremendous progress in adopting clean energy as well as in scaling up of technologies that capture the renewable power.

Renewable energy has now reached a stage where it can compete with fossil fuel without subsidies. Hybrid projects, combining wind and solar with energy storage, have successfully started to replace coal-based power plants. The next decade is poised for similar transitions in the mobility sector, where electric vehicles are anticipated to lead the move away from ICE vehicles.

A common ground for both these transitions is advanced energy storage technology that will enable greater RE integration and accelerate the shift to cleaner transportation. India has the ability to leapfrog into the adoption of these technologies.

With strong policy support and the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we are confident of making this change. As regular ETN readers know we have a vision to make India a global hub for R&D, manufacturing and adoption of advanced energy storage and e-mobility technologies by 2022.

This Earth Day, please join us in accelerating this transition and achieving the dream of leaving a cleaner environment for the generations that will follow.

March-April 2020 |

Calling Calling all all superheroes! superheroes!

The The Earth Earth needs needs you! you!

We’re We’reon onthe thelookout lookouttotorecognise recogniseout-of-the-box, out-of-the-box,effective effectiveinitiatives initiativesby byindividuals individuals totoclean cleanup upspaces spacesininIndia.

India.Write Writetotous, us,briefly brieflyexplaining explainingyour yourcontribution contribution and andyou youcould couldbe bethe thenext nextGreat GreatGlobal GlobalCleanup CleanupHero!

Hero!

OFFICIAL PARTNER

IESA

India Energy Storage Alliance

REGISTER REGISTERatathttps://tinyurl.com/GreatGlobalCleanupHero https://tinyurl.com/GreatGlobalCleanupHero greatglobalcleanup.india@gmail.com greatglobalcleanup.india@gmail.com

#GreatGlobalCleanupHero #GreatGlobalCleanupHero

#GreatGlobalCleanup #GreatGlobalCleanup

Terms Terms && Conditions Conditions TheThe Great Great Global Global Cleanup Cleanup Hero Hero campaign campaign willwill bebe conducted conducted as as a part a part of of Earth Earth Day Day Network’s Network’s Great Great Global Global Cleanup Cleanup campaign campaign • Great • Great Global Global Cleanup Cleanup is aisworldwide a worldwide campaign campaign to to reduce reduce waste waste and and plastic plastic pollution, pollution, improving improving habitats habitats and and preventing preventing harm harm to to wildlife wildlife and and humans humans • The • The competition competition willwill runrun from from January January 20,20, 2020 2020 to to March March 31,31, 2020; 2020; during during thisthis period, period, entrants entrants must must undertake undertake actions actions that that result result in ainCleanup a Cleanup • Entrants • Entrants may may organise organise activities activities such such as as poster poster making, making, jingle jingle composition, composition, comic comic drawing drawing or or slogan slogan writing writing to to further further awareness awareness • A•report A report must must bebe submitted submitted of of thethe activities, activities, clearly clearly providing providing data data onon thethe number number of of participants, participants, thethe amount amount of of waste waste collected, collected, thethe approximate approximate percentage percentage of of plastic plastic waste, waste, number number of of activities activities (number (number of of programs, programs, competitions competitions and and clean-ups) clean-ups) and and thethe impact impact of of thethe program. program.

TheThe jury jury willwill shortlist shortlist fivefive heroes heroes based based onon thethe reports reports • On • On or or around around April April 22,22, 2020 2020 (the (the 50th 50th Earth Earth Day), Day), thethe shortlisted shortlisted heroes heroes willwill bebe invited invited to to present present a report a report onon what what they they achieved. achieved.

TheThe three three best best willwill bebe awarded awarded • This • This competition competition is open is open to to entries entries from from anyany individual individual or or teams teams in India. in India.

AnAn entrant entrant cancan participate participate if they if they have have been been able able to to influence influence others others to to join join him/her him/her in the in the cleanup cleanup drive drive • A•team A team may may bebe a corporate a corporate team, team, a school a school team, team, a college a college team team or or a community a community team. team.

In case In case of of a team/group, a team/group, thethe team/group team/group lead lead willwill bebe awarded. awarded.

FROM THE EDITOR

9

‘Greendemic’ – lock kiya jaye!

A happy green day dear reader! Not only because this is the 50th year of Earth Day, but also because the world is in respite; it’s a pity that it has come at the cost of a pandemic.

A jolt, bolt from the sky, nature’s fury… call it what you want, the coronavirus outbreak has taken the entire world by surprise. It has levelled all powers; the mighty west and the mystic east are all on the same playing ground.

Industries are grinding to a stop, projects are suspended, millions of jobs at risk, oil prices going rock bottom, aviation grounded… We humans are being tested on the most important virtue of patience, and the test is against time.

Meanwhile, the world has turned into a unique zoo; the wildlife is venturing into the enclosures of the most evolved animal – man! The drone of the vehicular traffic and the blaring of the horns has been replaced with the soothing hum of the birds. Could you ever hear anything above the caws of the crows before? The summer breeze never felt so fresh, and stars shine in full attendance in the absence of the smog.

Ashok Thakur Chief Editor-ETN athakur@ces-ltd.com

Nature is probably laughing in our face now. In just 30 days it has shown us a glimpse of what we planned to achieve in in the next five-to-ten years. Pollution levels are down, way down. While the generation from fossil fuel power plants (specifically coal) has reduced (with decrease in peak demand), the power from RE sources remains stable. Which means it is possible in the near future to lower dependence on fossil fuels.

Agreed, all this is momentary, for as long as the epidemic lasts perhaps. And yes, the world is going to have to pay a price for this… going back to ‘normal’ is not going to be easy. There will be less travel, less jobs, less spending, less trust, less socializing, etc.

We’ll become actual loners and virtual extroverts. The reeling economy will have to be revived slowly.

A Ctrl+Alt+Del and a rebooting of the system.

And in the makeover, let’s make lockdown a norm.

It won’t sound so dismal if we just change our perspective.

Look at this as an opportunity, a clean slate to rewrite our present and our future. A Ctrl+Alt+Del and a rebooting of the system. And in the makeover, let’s make lockdown a norm. Like the one-hour power off on Earth Day, let’s lockdown once a week - no vehicles on the street, let’s walk; stay home, get family-time; help the needy, there are so many living in dire conditions even without the virus; plant a tree, grow a garden; stress on cleanliness, and clear out stress; boost the economy - buy Indian, travel within India, make in India…

It’s possible. We have seen immense fortitude in our citizens, and amazing ingenuity in organizing back-up and producing essential equipment. We may not be perfect, but we will survive.

ETN and IESA have joined hands with Earth Day Network to support and participate in their initiatives. This ETN special issue marks the golden year of Earth Day. Let us all participate in the digital celebration around the world, beginning with our ‘power-packed’ Webinar on April 22.

At the end of it all, the only thing worth saving is the planet. It can do without us, but we won’t exist without it. A happy green year to all. Forever.

March-April 2020 |

12

NATIONAL NEWS

Energy Storage

Lithium reserves found in Karnataka

Researchers at the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research have found an estimated 15,542.58 tons of lithium reserves in the Mandya region of Karnataka, as per media reports.

Access to lithium metal is critical since it is used in the manufacturing of Li-ion batteries that power EVs and in stationary storage applications as well.

“The present data provide a total estimation of available Li2O as about 33,400 tons over an area of 0.5 km x 5 km, which works out to about 14,100 tonnes [15,542.58 tons] of lithium metal," said N Munichandraiah, Emeritus Professor at the Indian Institute of Science and an expert on battery technologies in an Economic Times report.

“Lithium reserves found in Karnataka is definitely a good news and we’d like to congratulate the Atomic Minerals Directorate for putting their effort in exploration,” said Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director of India Energy Storage

Alliance (IESA), the leading industry alliance to drive energy storage, EV technologies manufacturing and adoption in India.

As per reports, India imported lithium batteries worth $1.2 billion in fiscal 2019, an increase from $384 million imported in FY17.

With the government making a big push for electric mobility, a joint venture called Khanij Bidesh India Ltd has been formed by three state-run companies -- National Aluminium Co., Hindustan Copper Ltd., and Mineral Exploration Corp -- to acquire lithium and cobalt mines abroad.

India’s first-ever Li-ion cell fabrication workshop held in Pune India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) along with the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) concluded India’s first-ever Li-ion fabrication workshop in Pune recently.

The first-of-its-kind two-day workshop was designed by IESA experts to assist industry understanding of the Li-ion cell manufacturing process. The participants, that included several battery systems providers and manufacturers in India, learned about raw materials required, equipment and detailed process of Li-ion cell manufacturing through a mix of hands-on lab training and expert lectures.

“At IESA, we believe that it is high time for the Indian industry to take up R&D and advanced cell manufacturing so that we reduce our dependence on other countries,” said Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President of IESA.

| March-April 2020

"The recent pandemic related to COVID19 has highlighted the importance of domestic manufacturing, considering the risk of global supply chain disruptions. Energy storage and EVs have importance for national energy security and we should learn from the recent events and accelerate our efforts for building domestic capabilities,” Dr Walawalkar added.

The Hands-on Li-ion Cell Fabrication workshop included practical lab training for pouch cell fabrication, preparation of cathode ink and coating on current collectors of electrode fabrication, battery testing and criteria for cell selection. It also included presentations on cell manufacturing, chemistries and performance characteristics, and next-generation Li-ion technologies.

“It is our responsibility to support the industry so that India can pick up Li-ion manufacturing instead of depending on other countries,” said Dr Bharat Kale, Director of C-MET. “India’s first workshop by IESA along with C-MET is a step towards it. We thank MeitY for creating such a facility and further (Li-ion fabrication) initiative in this regard at C-MET Pune,” Dr Kale added.

14

NATIONAL NEWS

Greenko and ReNew bag SECI tender Govt to for RE plus storage consider power purchase RE supply chain disruption as Force Majeure

Renewable Energy

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in its latest notification issued on March 20, directed all renewable energy implementing agencies to treat delay on account of disruption of the supply chain due to the spread of coronavirus in China or any other country, as Force Majeure [Force Majeure provisions in the PPA refers to an event or circumstance which prevents one party (in this case the power producers) from performing their obligations under circumstances that are not anticipated and beyond reasonable control].

The notice clarified that all power project developers claiming time extension will have to make a formal application to SECI/NTPC/other implementing agencies providing all the necessary documents in support of their claim. It further cautioned implementing agencies to ensure that no double relief is granted due to overlapping periods of time extension granted for reasons eligible for such relief.

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a central government PSU, recently concluded the reverse auction for the world’s largest renewable-cum-energy storage power purchase tender in February.

The tender which was won by Greenko and ReNew Power was sought for a contracted capacity of 1200 MW, with guaranteed supply of 600 MW for six hours daily during the peak hours (05:30 – 09:30 a.m. and 05:30 p.m.– 12:30 post-midnight) on day-ahead on-demand basis and would require a storage capacity of at least 3000 MWh and appropriate RE generation capacity, according to news reports.

“With this, thermal power in India has become priced out. The most recent thermal power tenders in the country have resulted in levelized tariffs in the range of `5.00- 7.00/kWh @ 85 percent annual PLF (Cents 6.94-9.72/kWh). The peak tariff under this SECI tender is highly competitive vis-à-vis the recent peak tariffs in international markets like USA (`8-9/kWh, or Cents 11.11-12.50/ kWh)”, said Pranav R Mehta, Chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI).

The tender was oversubscribed with SECI receiving 1620 MW against the contracted capacity of 1200 MW. Greenko emerged the lowest bidder in the online reverse auction with a good average tariff of `4.04/kWh for 900 MW capacity from pump storage projects with quotes peak tariff of `6.12/kWh. ReNew Power was the second-lowest bidder and won 300 MW contracted capacity at weighted average `4.30/kWh.

SECI issues tender for floating solar RE projects PV in Telangana implementation to be extended

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in March issued a tender, inviting bids from eligible companies for setting up a 15 MW (AC) floating solar PV power plant at two different reservoirs or sites at the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) in Telangana.

As per the tender document, SECI on behalf of SCCL will select the contractor for the tender of design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of the floating solar PV power plant at the different sites, including 10 years of the plant’s comprehensive operation and maintenance.

The last date for online and offline submission of the bids is May 4, 2020. | March-April 2020

The secretary of MNRE, Anand Kumar, on March 26 clarified that all renewable energy projects under implementation will be given an extension on account of the lockdown imposed on the country, and time required for remobilization of work force.

The spread of coronavirus in China disrupted the supply chain of components used in RE projects early in the year. Further, its spread in India also impacted the availability of workforce, with industry shutdowns and the government announcing a complete lockdown across India for a period of 21 days, starting March 25.

The extension of time will provide great relief to all the stakeholders in the RE sector noted the press release issued

by MNRE.

15

NTPC invests in Rajasthan for solar power project

SECI invites bids for grid-connected REthermal projects

Central PSU and India’s largest energy conglomerate NTPC, will sign an agreement with Rajasthan Solarpark Development Corporation Ltd (RSDCL) to develop a 925 MW solar power project in Nokh Solar Park, near Jaisalmer today.

As per media reports, NTPC will develop solar PV projects in the park at an estimated investment of `4,000 crore and RSDCL – a subsidiary of RRECL -- will develop the basic infrastructure which would cost about `450 crore. The park will be connected to the PGCIL 765kV Bhadla-II sub-station.

“The agreement follows rounds of discussion between NTPC and RSDCL officials and will bring Rajasthan the biggest investment in State’s solar power sector,” said Ajitabh Sharma, Principal Secretary - Energy and Chairman of RRECL. Sharma added that NTPC board had already approved the investment in a meeting held on February 7, and signing of the Implementation Support Agreement (ISA) will mark the commencement of the investment inflow to the state of Rajasthan.

The park is expected to have four projects, three 245 MW each and one of 190 MW. The three projects will be developed in the EPC mode while the 190 MW in developer mode. As for the power evacuation system, RSDCL will construct four park pooling substations and transmission lines for Nokh Solar park.

With the view to attract investors and harness the potential of the State’s solar power capacity, the State government has launched the new Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy 2019 and Rajasthan Wind and Hybrid Energy Policy 2019 offering competitive incentives to investors.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in March issued a tender for selection of RE power developers for the supply of 5000 MW of round-the-clock (RTC) power from grid-connected RE power projects.

The project will be bundled with power from coal-based thermal power projects in the country under tariff-based competitive bidding (RTC-II). The last date for the submission is May 4, 2020.

As per the bid, RE power could mean any project generating electric energy from solar, wind, small hydropower projects or a combination of thereof, with or without energy storage systems (ESS). The option of selecting the type and mix of RE and the usage of ESS will remain with the generator.

The RE project will have to be designed for interconnection with the ISTS substation at a voltage level of 220kV or above, and for each project the minimum project capacity shall be 500MW and maximum capacity shall be 5000MW. SECI will enter a PPA with successful renewable power developers for a period of 25 years from the date of provision of the PPA.

Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan Source: energy.rajasthan.gov.in

RE parks to come up in Gujarat and Rajasthan Two ultra-mega renewable energy parks of 25,000 MW each will be set-up in the States of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

In a letter addressed to all solar and wind developers in India, MNRE confirmed that both the ultra-mega parks have received necessary clearances of the respective State governments and from the defense ministry.

The ministry has finalized the Khavada region in Gujarat and Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan for the RE parks and has requested the power ministry to strengthen transmission to these locations within 24 months for the evacuation of power from these parks.

In September last year, the government had announced plans of roping in State-run companies operating the conventional power space such as NTPC, NLC India Ltd and Power Grid Corp of India to develop massive green energy parks.

According to news reports, the proposed ultra-mega RE power parks (UMREPP) of 2,000 MW would cost around $2 billion each and are to be set up in the wind and solar rich states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.

March-April 2020 |

16

Renewable Energy

BHEL bags MNRE appoints NTPC tender on as RE implementing BESS by TERI agency

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on February 19, announced that it has bagged a rare tender for battery energy storage system (BESS) under the TERI consortium project.

“BHEL has offered 410 kWh of cumulative battery capacity for a total cost of `2.51 crore, including six years of comprehensive warranty and maintenance,” TERI said in a statement.

The tender by TERI was floated for the installation and maintenance of the BESS. This is one of the rarest tenders since there are very limited tenders of BESS in India. The tender floated by TERI received responses from companies such as Mahindra Susten, Larsen & Turbo, Hero Solar, Honeywell Automation, Amara Raja and Okaya Power among others.

TERI under the licensee area of BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) is implementing a pilot project to integrate BESS at the distribution level. This project is being implemented under United States-India collaborative for smart distribution system with storage initiative which is a bilateral consortium of 30 collaborating entities led in India, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, and by Washington State University (WSU) in the US.

MNRE has designated the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), India’s largest power company, as the renewable energy implementing agency in India.

In the new role, NTPC will facilitate the application of connectivity and long-term access (LTA) in the interstate transmission system network (ISTS).

The order was issued by MNRE in reference to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Grant of Connectivity, Long-term Access and Medium-term Open Access in Inter-State Transmission and related matters) (Seventh Amendment) Regulations, 2019. As per the regulations, NTPC can act as a facilitator for projects based on standalone storage sources of installed capacity of 50 MW or above.

A renewable energy implementing agency, as per the Connectivity Regulation (7th Amendment), refers to a company designated by Central government or the State government to act as intermediary procurer to select and buy power from renewable energy generating stations and sell the same to one or more distribution licensees or any other person in accordance to the guidelines issued by Ministry of Power and MNRE from time to time.

Rooftop solar installation to cost less in Punjab With the government providing an additional 40 percent subsidy for rooftop solar system up to 3kW, the cost of 1kW rooftop solar power installation dropped to `22,000 in Punjab.

In a move that could accelerate the adoption of rooftop solar by households in the state, recent tenders floated by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), offered a discovered rate of about `37,000/kWh for installation of the system. With

World’s largest single rooftop project: Rooftop Solar PV Power Plant at Dera Beas, Amritsar Source: Punjab Energy Development Agency | March-April 2020

the government providing an additional 40 percent subsidy for up to 3kW, the price of rooftop solar installation has dropped drastically in the State bringing it to `22,000.

According to reports, the Punjab State government announced subsidies for grid-connected rooftop solar systems ranging between 1 and 10 kW only in the residential sector and the subsidy cannot be availed for non-residential sectors like education institutions, PSUs, private, commercial, industrial, statutory or autonomous bodies among others.

As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy rooftop solar installations up to 3 kW will qualify for a subsidy of 40 percent. For rooftop solar installations above 3 kW, and up to 10 kW will get a subsidy of 40 percent for the first 3 kW and 20 percent for the remaining capacity, and for installations above 10 kW, it is 40 percent for the first 3 kW and 20 percent for the remaining 7 kW. However, there's no subsidy beyond 10 kW capacity.

NATIONAL NEWS

Govt notifies draft rules for battery waste mngt The Center on February 25 notified the Battery Waste Management Rules 2020 and sought public suggestions for the same.

As per the draft rules, the government has directed manufacturers and dealers to record and collect used batteries against the new batteries sold, excluding those sold to original equipment manufacturers and bulk consumers.

The notification has four chapters which are divided into eight rules, aimed at fixing the responsibility of battery manufacturers, importers, assemblers, and re-conditioners.

The rules state that it shall be their (manufacturers and others) responsibility to ensure that the used batteries collected back are of similar type and specifications as the new ones sold, and that collection centers must be set up by them, either jointly or individually, at various locations for collection of used batteries from end consumer and dealers.

The rule adds that it must be ensured that used batteries collected are sent only to the registered recyclers, and the necessary arrangements must be made with dealers for safe transportation from collection centers to the registered recycling spaces. The rule further states that they need to ensure no damage is done to the environment during the process of transportation of batteries from collection centers to recycling areas.

The rules include that manufacturers and others must create public awareness through advertising, publications, posters and other means as deemed necessary to inform consumers of the hazards of lead, cadmium and mercury and their obligation to return used batteries to dealers or collection centers alone. They should also provide instructions for handling and disposal of the equipment after its use.

The notification was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the draft will be open to public suggestions and objections for 60 days since the rules were notified, following which the government will bring the notification into effect.

EESL, BSNL partner for charging stations

17

Electric Vehicles

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) the State-owned energy service company has signed an MoU with telecom PSU Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for installing 1,000 EV charging stations.

The EV charging stations will be installed at 1,000 BSNL sites in a phased manner across the country and BSNL will provide the necessary power connections and space for the charging infrastructure to be developed.

EESL will bear the entire upfront investment on the services, including operations and maintenance of the charging station, said EESL in a company statement.

EESL has already commissioned 300 AC and 170 DC chargers across India and has installed 66 public charging points in DelhiNCR alone.

The State-owned super-energy service company, thanks to its innovative model of demand aggregation and bulk procurement, receives EVs and chargers at a significantly lower rate as compared to the market value.

Tata Power, Prakriti E-mobility tie up for charging stations Tata Power has entered a partnership with EV cab operator Prakriti E-Mobility to set up 50 charging station across DelhiNCR for EVs. The two companies will jointly set 30 slow chargers and five fast chargers in a phased manner, and Tata Power will be responsible for designing, procuring, installing and managing the charging stations near the Delhi airport, Gurgaon and North Delhi.

Nimish Trivedi, co-founder and CEO of Prakriti, said that this partnership will help strengthen the company’s plan of rolling out 5,000 EV cabs over the next two years and boost the overall EV ecosystem.

Prakriti is an app-based EV taxi Source: Tata Power service provider in the NCR.

Tata Power has already established more than 100 charging points across public, residential and corporate segments. The two companies opened the first fast charger at Jasola area of Southeast Delhi on January 3.

March-April 2020 |

18

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Energy Storage

Tesla and PG&E plan largest ES project in California

Officials of the Monterey County Planning Commission, California, gave approval for a large-scale energy battery farm project in Moss Landing which will be spearheaded jointly by Tesla and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) as per media reports.

Officials of the Monterey County said this could be the largest of its kind energy storage facility in the world. The project is to include the installation of 268 Tesla-manufactured megapack Li-ion battery units in 17 modules resembling metal storage containers with the capacity to store up to 730 MWh of renewable energy during off-peak hours.

This project is the second such initiative approved at the site in California. In May last year, Vistara Energy won an even larger, that is 1,200 MWh, battery energy storage project that is already under construction.

Amara Raja Electronics partners with Salom Electric (Xiamen) Amara Raja Electronics Limited (AREL) has announced that it has entered in a manufacturing and supply partnership with Salom Electric (Xiamen) Co, one of the world's leading electronic and electrical manufacturing company based in Fujian, China.

According to a statement, AREL will manufacture and provide Salom a range of power products, including external power supplies, battery chargers, wall plug-in power supplies, car chargers, vehicle power adaptors, power banks, wireless chargers, and associated products.

“This association is much more than just expanding our outreach.

It is not only very well aligned with the ‘Make in India’ scheme of the govt., but also makes our presence stronger in India and abroad,” said Vikramaditya Gourineni, MD – AREL. As per the agreement, the manufacturing of the products will be done at AREL’s factory in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, and the products will be shipped to Salom’s global clientele abroad as well as in India. Salom's products are used in digital cameras, medical testing devices, smartphones, shavers, portable wi-fi routers, walkie-talkies, set-top boxes, phone conference systems, vacuum cleaners, motorbikes, and numerous other consumer and other enterprise electronics.

The deal was signed by Mr Gourineni, Kiff Wang, CEO - Salom Group, and Leo Yaus President - Salom Americas and India.

Samsung researchers present all-solid-state battery technology Researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Samsung R&D Institute Japan (SRJ) presented a study on ‘highperformance, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries’ earlier in March 2020.

The study was presented by the Samsung engineers and researchers in Nature Energy, one of the leading scientific journals.

According to a company statement, all-solidstate batteries support greater energy density, which opens the door for larger capacities and utilize solid electrolytes, which are demonstrably

(L to R) Yuichi Aihara - Principal Engineer from SRJ, Yong-Gun Lee - Principal Researcher, & Dongmin Im Master from SAIT Source: Samsung Newsroom | March-April 2020

safer. However, the downside of all-solid-state batteries is that lithium metal anodes are prone to trigger the growth of dendrites which can reduce the battery’s lifespan and safety.

Samsung researchers have proposed utilizing a silvercarbon (Ag-C) composite layer as the anode. In a first of its kind suggestion, the researchers found that using an Ag-C layer into a prototype pouch cell allows the battery to support a larger capacity, a longer cycle life, and enhances its overall safety.

“The product of this study could be a seed technology for safer, high-performance batteries of the future,” said Dongmin Im, Master at SAIT’s Next Generation Battery Lab and the leader of the project.

“Going forward, we will continue to develop and refine all-solidstate battery materials and manufacturing technologies to help take EV battery innovation to the next level,” Im added.

The ultrathin Ag-C layer measures just 5 µm (micrometers) in thickness which allowed the team to reduce the thickness of the anode and enhance energy density up to 900Wh/L. Moreover, the company claims it enabled them to make their prototype approximately 50 percent smaller by volume than a conventional Li-ion battery.

This finding is a significant step in the direction of the adoption of EVs. The prototype pouch cell would enable an EV to travel up to 800 km on a single charge, and it features a battery cycle life of 1000 plus charges.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Electric Vehicles

Volkswagen to use highnickel battery cells for EVs

BYD bags largest order for e-buses in the US

German auto giant Volkswagen will raise the amount of nickel used in its electric car battery cells to 80 percent by next year from current 65 percent said Frank Blome, Head of Battery Cells at the carmaker.

Volkswagen's current electric car battery cell contains 65 percent nickel, 15 percent cobalt, and 20 percent manganese. With the new decision, the nextgeneration batteries will contain 80 percent nickel, 10 percent cobalt, and 10 percent manganese.

Volkswagen is embarking on a mass production push to build three million electric cars by 2025, requiring 300-gigawatt hours’ worth of battery cells, mainly in Asia and Europe, Blome said. The company plans on ramping up manufacturing battery packs at a scale that will help carmaker to cut battery cell costs far below $100/ kWh by 2025.

China’s largest privately owned company and electric bus manufacturer BYD announced in late February that it has secured the largest single order for e-buses to date in the United States.

As per the company statement, the Los Angeles Department (LADOT) placed an order of 134 e-buses for the State.

“The clean transportation revolution is not a distant dream — it's happening on L.A.'s streets right now,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at a press conference held in the Dept. of Transportation. Mayor Garcetti arrived at the conference in a 30-foot BYD e-bus.

The record-breaking order is a part of ‘LA’s Green New Deal: Leading by Example’, – which aims to transform LADOT’s bus fleet to entirely emission-free ahead of the opening ceremonies of 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“This is not a small order of 20 buses, this not a demo anymore. This is the real thing. It is moving on LA streets every day,” said Stella Li, BYD North American President. The EV manufacturer has supplied the Los Angeles Metro system with buses since 2015.

Source: BYD

Source: Volkswagen AG

CATL to raise $ 2.85 billion in battery projects Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL), China’s largest automotive Li-ion battery manufacturer said it aims to raise up to 20 billion yuan (USD 2.85 billion) in private placement of shares to fund its battery-making projects and boost working capital.

The company which has partnerships with automotive giants like Tesla, BMW, Honda, and Volkswagen is hoping to expand its battery-making capacity in Fujian, Jiangsu, and Sichuan and in the energy storage research project as per the company filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange made on February 26. In a separate filing made the same day, the company said it plans to invest CNY10 billion for a battery manufacturing base in Ningde, Fujian province where it is headquartered.

The latest move by CATL has come following the announcement to supply batteries to electric carmaker Tesla. In less than 10 years, CATL has beaten competitors like Panasonic, LG Chem, and BYD to become the largest Li-ion battery manufacturer. According to news reports, the company supplies more than 40 percent of the total batteries that power EVs in China and commands a global share of 28 percent.

| March-April 2020

21

GM unveils Ultium, low-cost Li-ion battery General Motors announced that it has created a new EV battery, Ultium, which will be much cheaper than the other batteries currently available in the market.

GM Chairman and CEO, Mary Barra, detailed the company’s EV strategy in Michigan, where

GM’s all-new modular platform and battery system, Ultium Source: Steve Fecht for General Motors

the company showcased 10 future EVs, their new propriety battery pack Ultium and a broader strategy to grow the company’s EV sales.

"Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” said Barra. “What we have done is build a multibrand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”

The company claims Ultium energy options range from 50 to 200 kWh, and it could enable a range of up to 400 miles or more on a full charge with 0 to 60 mph acceleration as low as 3 seconds. Further, the company’s joint venture with LG Chem is to help drive the battery cell cost well below $100/kWh. The new battery cells used in Ultium, have lower percentage cobalt, making it distinctive from most of the EV batteries in production today. The majority of the batteries available in the market are made up of nickel, cobalt, and magnesium (NCM) but the Ultium batteries are made up of nickel, magnesium, cobalt, and aluminum that has helped reduce the cobalt content in the battery by 70 percent.

Toyota, Hino Motors to develop fuel cell truck Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp in March announced that it would develop a heavy-duty fuel cell truck with Hino Motors Ltd, its subsidiary.

As per Toyota’s vehicle outline, the heavy-duty fuel cell truck will have a cruising range of about 600 km and will be powered by Li-ion batteries.

Its powertrain will be equipped with two, newly developed, Toyota fuel cell stacks and will include vehicle control that applies heavy-duty hybrid

vehicle technologies, developed by Hino.

“Going forward, Toyota and Hino will further strengthen their partnership and accelerate efforts toward the realization of a hydrogen society,” Toyota said in a statement.

The two companies have declared ambitious goals for reducing CO2 emissions by 2050, and have been developing EV technologies, especially improving heavy-duty trucks which account for 60 percent of total CO2 emissions from commercial vehicles in Japan.

Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Truck Source: Toyota March-April 2020 |

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

22

Renewable Energy

Total SA to acquire half of Adani Green’s solar assets

India’s Adani Green Energy Ltd has entered an agreement with French energy giant Total SA for a solar power joint venture.

According to the joint statement released by the companies, Total SA will acquire 50 percent stake in Adani Green’s solar assets by investing around $510 million or `3,633 crore in the solar power joint venture. Reports suggest this could be one of the biggest transactions in India’s clean energy sector.

“We are delighted to extend our longterm partnership with Total to our renewable energy business," said Gautam Adani, Adani Group chairman in the company statement. Adani was referring to the two companies’ longstanding partnership and Total SA’s plan to buy a 37.4 percent stake in Adani Gas for around `5,700 crore announced in October 2019.

“This interest in over 2GW of solar projects represents a real change of scale of our presence in India’s RE sector, which has very significant growth potential in the coming years,” said Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of Total. “It will contribute to our ambition of deploying 25GW of RE by 2025," he added.

Adani Green Energy houses 2,148 MW of solar assets spread over 11 States in India and as per the new deal, Total will own half of the JV with Adani Green owning the balance 50 percent stakes.

“Total is fully engaged in the energy transition and to supporting India, a key country in the fight against climate change, in diversifying its energy mix through partnerships in natural gas and now in solar energy," Pouyanne added. | March-April 2020

World's largest greenhydrogen project in Japan The world's largest green hydrogen production project marked its opening in early March, not far from the Fukushima disaster site in Japan.

A consortium of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS), Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc and Iwatani Corporation announced the completion of Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R).

FH2R facility produces hydrogen completely free from CO2 emissions by decomposing water and using electricity generated from its solar power plant. The plant contains a total of 20 MW capacity of solar panels spread in an area of 180,000 sq km along with power from the grid to conduct electrolysis in an RE-powered 10MW-class hydrogen production unit.

Reports suggest the solar-powered hydrogen plant has the capacity to produce enough gas to fill 560 fuel cell vehicles a day.

The government-backed project costs a total of ¥1billion ($189 million) and has the capacity to produce, store and supply up to 1,200 Nm3 of hydrogen per hour (rated power operation).

This project is symbolic of the Japanese government's resolve to reinvent the Fukushima region as a center for clean energy and is a part of the rebuilding process for the region that was devasted by the nuclear disaster in 2011.

Reports suggest the project will serve as a testbed for mass production of green hydrogen, with initial output directed to fuel hydrogen cars and buses in Japan – including some that were to be used at the Tokyo Olympics (which was to be held in August this year but stands cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak).

Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) Source: Toshiba Energy

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COVER STORY

[(About mother earth) In Her is woven together Ocean and River Waters; in Her is contained Food which She manifests when ploughed, In Her indeed is alive all Lives; May She bestow us with that Life.]

Green charging the clean earth drive Since time immemorial, with ancient texts as testimony, in India the earth has been revered as ‘mother earth’ and prayed to as the one that sustains life and gives in abundance. Undoubtedly, we all depend on the resources of nature for sustaining our lives; the personified siring earth gives without discrimination and without holding back. There is no question about that. The question, though, is what are we as ‘takers’ doing about maintaining the sustenance. | March-April 2020

25

Nishtha Gupta-Vaghela Consulting Editor ETN

T

his month (April 22) will see the world acknowledge the ‘giving power’ of nature and celebrate its abundance on ‘Earth Day’. The intention is to not only express gratitude but also to vow and implement ways to preserve, protect and nurture the earth and all species, big and small, that thrive on it.

The first Earth Day (observed in the US in 1970) initiated a movement th a t to d a y i n cl u d e s e ve n ts coordinated around the world by the Earth Day Network, in over 193 countries. This year is the 50th Earth Day. The theme assigned this year is ‘Climate Change’; couldn’t be a more appropriate topic in these pressing times.

Climate change and its fallout will be the biggest threat we will face in the near future. Reducing green cover, increasing pollution levels, drastic weather changes, ruptured ozone layer, melting ice caps, rising sea levels… warning bells are loud enough to deafen.

Come to think of it, it’s a wonder we still have something to protect and preserve for the coming generations.

Which means, whatever we are doing now should be done on a war-footing.

Are we in combative position, ready with the protection gear?

Tackling climate change will be difficult without first reducing harmful emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels. India has realized the importance of introducing and implementing environmental control measures. We have set targets and long-term plans for managing climate change concerns. Enactment of suitable legislation and making use of best available technology to handle environmental issues may seem like a small step but will go a long way.

Karuna Singh, Regional Director and India Director – Earth Day Network, said that awareness is key to the success of every initiative. In her opinion, for India, renewables

would be the best route to fight climate change, followed by pollution control.

India has excellent environmentrelated legislation, she said, that people could benefit from if there is awareness.

Reliable renewables

India stands at number three in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the US. Despite efforts to promote renewable energy, India still relies heavily on fossil fuel for power.

Around 60 percent of our electricity generation is still dependent on coal.

Notwithstanding our commitment to RE, the transition is not going to be an easy one.

One of the possibilities is to increase the share of RE in the national energy mix. Rapid industrialization and infrastructure development in the country is not only increasing the demand for energy but is also contributing to air and water pollution. Over this, we are now also promoting ‘Make in India’ with an aim to transform India into a manufacturing hub. While this might reduce our dependence on other countries for resources, it will definitely further escalate energy demand.

Currently, RE accounts for a little more than 20 percent (not including hydro power) of India's total installed capacity of about 357GW. A targeted figure of 175GW of installed RE capacity by 2022 is desired. For some industry speculators, what India hopes to achieve might seem rather ambitious owing to an investment slowdown in the RE sector. But if you take a look at the figures, it won’t be wrong to hope. For example, reports have shown that in 2014 we had just about 3GW of solar power but by 2017 it had increased to almost 20GW, and now the objective is to increase it fivefold by 2022.

Just increasing RE contribution to the energy staple is not the solution, RE grid integration will be a poser too. This raises concerns for system planning and operations; a need to scale up the grid, enhanced flexibility of the power system, incorporation of storage, etc, are some of the issues that need to be addressed.

The government is committed to achieving the targets it has set for increased use of renewable energy sources. It has undertaken many sustainable power projects, and is promoting use of green energy through various schemes, policies and incentives in a bid to stimulate growth and attract investments.

In a recently held online meeting with its officers, MNRE has decided to “issue uniform combined guidelines for procurement of Renewable Energy (solar, wind, hybrid) including storage to facilitate investment in the sector and will continue to bring new bids so that investors can plan their investment.”

Earth Day 2020 Date: April 22 Objective: to demonstrate support for environmental protection Theme this year: Climate Change First celebrated: in the US in 1970 Coordinator: Earth Day Network Earth Day is recognised as the world’s largest civic event, celebrated in over 193 countries. This year is its 50th anniversary.

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year digitally held events will replace conventional celebratory gatherings.

Earth Day organizers will employ non-traditional formats such as a global ‘digital’ strike with ‘nonstop series of videos, of petitions, of things you can do that will run the 24 to 48 hours of Earth Day.’ For more details on Earth Day campaigns and events, visit the Earth Day Network website.

March-April 2020 |

26

COVER STORY

Efficient energy consumption

Energy consumption and efficiency go hand-in-hand. All the power we generate if not utilized efficiently, is a colossal waste. India’s energy efficiency policies cover around 23 percent of its energy use. The ongoing Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) program is the main policy driving efficiency gains in the sector.

PAT was established by the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, to reduce energy consumption and promote enhanced energy efficiency among specific

UJALA LED energy savings Expected annual energy savings - 105 bn KWh Expected reduction of peak load - 20,000 MWA Annual estimated greenhouse gas emission reductions 79 million tonnes of CO2 Source: Vikaspedia, InDG

energy intensive industries in the country. It is a regulatory instrument that has an associated marketbased mechanism to enhance the cost effectiveness through certification of excess energy saving, which can be traded.

Energy performance standards are important for lighting and cooling as well. Increasing industries and concretization of urban spaces has made the use of efficient lighting and cooling systems imperative.

According to reports, an ordinary bulb is an extremely energy ‘inefficient’ form of lighting with just 5 percent of the electricity input converted to light. Efficient LED bulbs consume only one-tenth of the energy used by ordinary bulbs to provide the same or better light output. However, high cost of LEDs has been a deterrent in the adoption of such efficient lighting systems.

To counter this problem the Domestic Efficient Lighting Program (DELP) was introduced under the name UJALA – Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All. Through this scheme, 20W LED tube lights and also BEE 5-star rated energy efficient

Source: EESL India

Ambient air quality refers to the condition or quality of air surrounding us in the outdoors.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that is applicable nationwide. The CPCB has been conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, that was enacted by the Central government with the objective of arresting the deterioration of air quality.

The measurement of air quality is based on eight pollutants - PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb - for which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. The worst reading in these pollutants represents the AQI for that city.

fans are distributed to the consumers that are considerably lower priced than regular tubes and fans.

The main objective of this program - implemented by the Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) - is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment that reduce electricity bills and help preserve environment.

One of the fallouts of climate change is the rapidly rising temperatures. Extremely high heat waves experienced during summers have already claimed many lives across the country. So, like energy saving lighting, appropriate policies to implement efficient cooling will be needed to handle the heat stress. At the same time, it should be ensured that our efforts comply with international mandates that include eliminating coolants that harm the ozone layer or heat up the atmosphere.

Pollution control measures

Air pollution is posing serious health issues in India. As per reports in 2019, of the most polluted cities in the world, 21 out of 30 were in India. That is alarming. Even with | March-April 2020

27 the people living outside the cities, air pollution caused by burning of biomass like wood and cow dung for cooking and heating and burning crop stubble, is a matter of concern.

While in the cities, transportation remains one of the main causes of polluted air. With a steady increase in the number of ICE vehicles and construction activity in the urban areas, air pollution has become a serious health hazard.

The Indian government is showing deep commitment in this direction and has made available clean fuel for household cooking in the rural areas under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in 2016.

The objective of this scheme is to distribute 50 million LPG connections to poor families.

The government is also making e ffo rts to a l i g n su sta i n a b l e development policies to the implementation of advanced emission control technologies to provide NAAQS-compliant air quality to about 85 percent of the Indian population.

As mentioned in some published reports, in 2015 more than half the Indian population – about 670 million citizens – was exposed to PM2.5 concentrations that did not comply with India's NAAQS for PM2.5 (40 migrograms per cubic metre). Less than one percent enjoyed air quality that met the WHO standards.

Last year the government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), a five-year action plan to curb air pollution and build a pan-India air quality monitoring network, and improve citizen awareness. The program focuses on 102 polluted Indian cities and aims to reduce PM2.5 levels by 20-30 percent over the next five years.

It has been suggested that if supported by a legal mandate, NCAP could ensure successful implementation of emission control measures. Air pollution control has to be strategic and planned in phases to ensure a gradual reduction of pollution levels.

Government’s initiatives under FAME-II will also give a boost to the e-mobility sector and we can hope for a much-required transition from IC to electric-run vehicles.

The Department of Environment was established in India in 1980 to ensure a healthy environment for the country.

This later became the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1985. Some environment-related laws in India: 1986 – The Environment (Protection) Act authorizes the central government to protect and improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds.

1986 – The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.

1989 – The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules is to control the generation, collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of hazardous waste.

1999 – The Environment (Siting for Industrial Projects) Rules, 1999 lay down detailed provisions relating to areas to be avoided for siting of industries, precautionary measures to be taken for site selecting as also the aspects of environmental protection which should have been incorporated during the implementation of the industrial development projects.

2000 – The Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules have been laid down for the regulation of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances.

2001 – The Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 rules shall apply to every manufacturer, importer, re-conditioner, assembler, dealer, auctioneer, consumer, and bulk consumer involved in the manufacture, processing, sale, purchase, and use of batteries or components so as to regulate and ensure the environmentally safe disposal of used batteries 1927 – The Indian Forest Act and Amendment, 1984, is one of the many surviving colonial statutes. It was enacted to ‘consolidate the law related to forest, the transit of forest produce, and the duty leviable on timber and other forest produce’.

1972 – The Wildlife Protection Act, Rules 1973 and Amendment 1991 provides for the protection of birds and animals and for all matters that are connected to it whether it be their habitat or the waterhole or the forests that sustain them.

1980 – The Forest (Conservation) Act and Rules, 1981, provides for the protection of and the conservation of the forests.

1974 – The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act establishes an institutional structure for preventing and abating water pollution. It establishes standards for water quality and effluent. Polluting industries must seek permission to discharge waste into effluent bodies.

The CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) was constituted under this act.

1948 – The Factories Act and Amendment in 1987 was the first to express concern for the working environment of the workers. The amendment of 1987 has sharpened its environmental focus and expanded its application to hazardous processes.

1981 – The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act provides for the control and abatement of air pollution. It entrusts the power of enforcing this act to the CPCB. Source: http://edugreen.teri.res.in/

March-April 2020 |

28

COVER STORY

Prakash Javadekar Union Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change Source: TERI

Environmental legislations

According to the Article 48(A) of the Constitution of India: ‘The State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country’. It becomes the duty of every citizen ‘to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife’. The Article was added in the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, to ratify the Stockholm Conference, 1972.

The constitutional provisions are backed by a number of laws – acts, rules, and notifications. The Environment Protection Act 1986, is considered an umbrella legislation as it fills many gaps in the existing laws. Following which, many other laws were introduced to tackle various other issues that cropped up.

Six key laws related to environmental protection and wildlife: • The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 • The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 • Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 • Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 • The Indian Forest Act, 1927 At the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2020 - flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institutes (TERI) – held early this year, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), stated that India is setting a new example of how multilateral agreements should be followed.

Prime Minister Modi receiving the ‘Champions of the Earth Award 2018 for Policy Leadership’. The award is the highest UN honour in the field of environment.

Source: pib.gov.in

“We must accept that if we have to overcome a serious challenge like climate change, then what we are doing at the moment is just not enough.

What is needed today, is a comprehensive approach which covers everything from education to values, and from lifestyle to developmental philosophy.

What we need is a global people’s movement to bring about behavioral change.

The respect for nature, the judicious use of resources, reducing our needs and living within our means have all been important aspects of both our traditions and present-day efforts. Need not Greed has been our guiding principle.”

(Excerpted from Prime Minister Modi’s speech on Climate Change at UNGA’s Climate Action Summit 2019. The speech was in Hindi, the quoted text is an approx. translation.)

He pointed out that India will continue to take adequate measures to reduce the degenerative effects of climate change. India's efforts include increasing 13,000 sq. km in forest cover in four years; providing $7 billion to all States for aggressive afforestation; bringing about more than 30-35 percent reduction in emission intensity; scaling up solar target to 450 GW; and implementing programs to restore land and air and waste management.

India is all guns trained in its fight against climate change. It stands firm on the implementation

| March-April 2020

of the commitment, made under the Paris Agreement, to reduce harmful emissions, increase RE generation and improve green cover through afforestation.

Well, the bugle has been sounded, and our strategies are afoot. It a race against time, but nature has always given us due warning.

We believe that its innate nurturing will help us protect it, so it can continue to protect us.

‘Mother Earth’ has been benevolent and accommodating; time to say ‘thank you, same to you’.

Happy Earth Day to all.

30

INTERVIEW

Time to rise for Earth

The 50th Earth Day celebrations this year will be rather low owing to the Corona outbreak, but digital initiatives world over will ensure that the enthusiasm remains high. Karuna Singh, Regional Director for South Asia and Country Director - Earth Day Network, spoke to ETN about Earth Day 2020 goals and initiatives.

With the ‘Climate Change’ theme this year, what are the goals of the Earth day Network?

The vision and the philosophy behind what we want to achieve, is to reiterate oneness among all of humanity. In 1968, the first photograph of earth from moon was taken by astronauts and it was called ‘Earthrise’. It demonstrated that our planet was truly unique, strong yet fragile, and in need of our protection and defense; all we saw were borders that were geographical and not political. The coronavirus tragedy today that reinstated has nothing can be confined to closed spaces, neither the air above nor the water below can be contained.

It is the duty of all humans - not just governments, bureaucrats, corporations or the media - to rise for earth. That is why our whole initiative is called Earthrise – where we want to widen awareness, build networks and work for action.

Since it is going to be a mostly virtual conducting of initiatives due to the COVID-19 precautions, what are the plans for India?

We had to rethink a lot of our programs due to the Corona outbreak, it will take us some time before we formally announce our campaigns. But we do have excellent programs to celebrate the 50th year, like ‘My Future My Voice’ where we will showcase kids and youth who are doing great things for the environment. Another one is ‘Make a Bright Choice’ where we are encouraging people to switch at least one incandescent bulb to LED. Our ‘Earth Reel’ competition is for young moviemakers in schools, where they will be marked not only for the cinematography but also on the research they have done on the subject.

On the day of the janta curfew we launched a ‘Do It Yourself’ where every day at 1 am on our Facebook page we talk about a do-it-yourself task that results in an act of green.

Karuna Singh Regional Director for South Asia and Country Director Earth Day Network | March-April 2020

Our Washington office will be running a 24-hr program with acts and performances and more.

EDN has a very people-based approach to tackling environmental issues, how and how much do you think can people contribute towards impacting change?

The first thing we talk about is awareness. The role that EDN plays is that we bring together providers with those who need the information, we create these platforms and create them in innovative ways: we use theatre, we use folk tradition and other sensitivities of the local region.

Our country has excellent legislation in place for the environment, the problem is on the implementation level and that will really only happen when we go down to the grassroot level and explain the benefits of that legislation to the people. For example, if you tell people that they have to switch to solar energy, it might seem as if it is being forced upon them; but if you tell them that there are government schemes that they could benefit from it, they are most likely to show interest. It is very important to make people aware that there are already schemes in place, like KUSUM and UJAJA that they can benefit from.

When we had gone to Bagli in Madhya Pradesh (State in India), we spoke to panchayat women leaders and we brought to them the understanding of climate change issues and terminology. These are things that the urban spaces are aware of, but those who are in the rural spaces and have the power to legislate may not understand.

So, what we did was, we brought to them the providers, like the MD of the Narmada-Jhabua Gramin

31 Bank. He explained the benefits that could come to them if they applied to the schemes, at the same time he understood from them their problems - like not knowing how to fill the forms given to them by the bank. He promised that he would create a cadre of ‘sakhis’ from their villages, a team of women who are a little more educated, who could understand what has to be done and explain it to the women.

India is not just a country, it’s a sub-continent; with so many different languages, cultures, and tribes.

Hence, our coordinators in different parts of India are taken from the same region, so it’s easier to connect with people on issues close to them.

What is the best route for India to take to handle climate change?

Going for renewables is definitely very important. India is blessed with sunshine, and should take that route for climate change. We should also look at air pollution and ways to reduce it - that is another very important issue. I think that India is doing well already in trying to increase its green cover.

EDN in its own way is supporting each of these aspects. So, if you are talking about renewables we have different campaigns like renewables for growth, low-carbon lifestyles, and healthy energy. We have been going to schools and telling them about roof-top solar.

We have to reach out to people and understand what is stopping them from taking advantage of the schemes to promote RE. Afforestation is one of India’s targets under the Paris Agreement.

What are EDN’s campaigns in this area?

Providing monetary help is something we don’t do. But we do provide wide publicity to people’s ventures via our e-books and our campaigns. For example, under our ‘Star Village’ campaign, one of the award winners is a village in Rajasthan that upon the birth of every girl child plants 101 trees. We give them wide coverage so other villages can take this up too.

In certain places (like Bodh Gaya) we realized that people just grow trees to cut them down for firewood.

To these people we have been gifting

The first photograph of Earth taken from the Moon. Titled ‘Earthrise’, it was taken by astronaut William Anders during an orbit of the moon as part of the Apollo 8 mission.

Source: NASA

two-feet high saplings of fruit trees.

We tell them to let these trees grow so that when they fruit, the people can get economic benefit from them and also consume the fruit as nutrition for the family. In India, we must not forget the fact that there are people who are less privileged. We cannot keep telling them this is good for you without giving them sound economic gains out of it.

One of EDN’s efforts to help spread knowledge about environmental issues, is to work through schools. Tell us about your initiatives in India regarding this.

We have several programs that run in schools. One is called ‘Morning Assembly’ where, close to Earth Day, we ask schools to tell us what they did at morning assembly to focus on definite environmental issues. We pick a theme every year, and this year it is ‘Acts of Green’. Since this year the schools will remain shut through Earth Day, we had to rethink about it.

Otherwise we have been running it for the past six years.

The other program we run is with the National Council of Science Museums called GEM – Green Environment Monitor. Under this, we go to school administrators and tell them that they should appoint children to monitor the environment in the same way that you have class monitors. The children chosen to be monitors are given training on what is green environment. On Earth Day they come forward to show us the benefits that they have been able to achieve in their school with that.

One program we conducted with the help of partners, like in Visakhapatnam where we show school children how to set up their own radio stations and produce their own programs.

One of your key campaigns this year is the #TheGreatGlobalCleanUp, what are the ‘green clean-up acts’ we can do starting at home?

Three things you can do beginning at home are: a. Composting b. Upcycling c. Having an alternative to plastic

March-April 2020 |

32

CORONA IMPACT

COVID-19 and its impact on solar and storage sector The spread of COVID-19 poses a serious challenge to the momentum picked up by the solar power and energy storage sector in India, but in the long term, the crisis could help catalyze innovations and reaffirm commitment towards energy transition.

Shraddha Kakade Assistant Editor ETN

T

he outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) has emerged as the worst humanitarian crisis of our times. It has impacted people and businesses across sectors including solar power, energy storage and electric vehicles—both in India and globally. The outbreak is estimated

to cost global economy $360 billion, four times more than that of the SARS outbreak in 2003.

The virus that was first reported in mainland China in December last year, resulted in disruption of global supply chains like none other. Factory shutdowns, travel ban and nation-wide lockdowns to contain the spread of the virus in China resulted in delayed supplies of essential raw materials creating a supply and demand gap, concerns over project completion for developers and disruption in daily operations and management of manufacturing plants worldwide.

| March-April 2020

But with the virus intensifying in India, and a complete lockdown in the country until May 3, 2020, the concerns have shifted from supply-side to the demand-side of the business.

COVID-19 to slowdown solar installation

India’s renewable installation could fall by a fifth due to the lockdown as per the latest projections by Wood Mackenzie. India could face over 24.8 percent or about 3GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations delay as a result of the country’s lockdown, the report added.

33 At present, most of the utilityscale grid-connected solar energy projects in India are implemented by the private sector developers.

The solar PV installation will be the hardest hit as the industry relies heavily on Chinese cells and PV module imports – 80 percent of the total volume. In fact, solar modules account for 60 percent of the total solar project costs.

Speaking of the impact on the solar energy sector, Deepak Thakur, CEO of Hybrid and Energy Storage, Sterling & Wilson noted that “for renewable energy businesses whether solar or storage, China is an epicentre of sourcing, and stoppage or delay in supply of key components is emerging as a major challenge for projects being executed globally.”

Mr Thakur explained that project negotiations and contract signings are being delayed due to travel embargoes and lockdowns.

Commenting on the impact on business operations, he added that the pandemic was causing delay in crucial decision-making and in some

cases, actions, which will impact growth and profitability of businesses in the medium term.

Since the supply chain crisis coincided with the Chinese New Year, a majority of the large Indian module manufacturers had built-up inventories and could manage operations in the month of February despite delay in supplies from the Chinese vendor. However, by midMarch, the supply chain from China resumed to normalcy by 40-50 percent but India by then went under lockdown bringing production to a standstill.

“Effectively the whole first quarter has been badly hit,” shared one of the largest solar PV module manufacturing company in India.

Further, to make matters worse, in the last week of March, the Indian rupee depreciated against the dollar surging past `76, making imports more expensive.

“Global crisis first impacts the currency value,” said Anshul Gupta of Okaya Power Group, a leading Li-ion battery provider in the solar storage and EV sector. “If rupee goes weaker it impacts even before we talk about supply chain, and in current times a weakened rupee certainly impacts.”

While COVID-19 is expected to have a potential impact on overall

solar industry, rooftop solar segment in particular, experts believe, will see the most immediate impact and may end up having a longer road to recovery.

This is because in the current lockdown conditions installers cannot physically examine the rooftop solar installations capacity required by the client nor install new systems.

Additionally, there will be a decline in demand, as consumers and businesses will be unlikely to take a decision on rooftop solar installation since it’s not an urgent need amid the crisis, and securing loan from bank could potentially get tighter. These factors could hinder India’s ability to meet the solar rooftop installation target for FY 2019-20.

As for the outlook for RE companies, experts point out that smaller rooftop solar companies which work on OPEX models are likely to be worst hit. Unlike large GENCOs, these players will not be able to sustain the cashflow disruption unless certain safeguards are put in place by the government.

Govt battles the impact on solar sector

Taking stock of the evolving situation, the government through the months of February and March announced a slew of measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19

March-April 2020 |

34 outbreak. Some of the significant measures announced by GoI are as follows: March 23 – The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified that all the renewable energy implementing agencies (SECI, NTPC and others) will treat delay on account of disruption of the supply chains due to coronavirus in China or any other country, as Force Majeure. All project developers were requested to make applications to implementing agency in this regard.

March 27 – Ministry of Home Affairs exempted movement of personnel and equipment, related to power generation and transmission, from the country-wide lockdown.

The ministry designated power generation (including renewable power generation) as an essential service.

March 27 – MNRE granted extension of commissioning deadlines to all RE projects under construction on account of COVID-19.

April 1 – Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) requested all State distribution companies (DISCOMs) and agencies to allow submission of invoices digitally.

April 2 – MNRE issued clarification regarding payments to Renewable Energy Generating Stations (REGS)

by DISCOMs during the moratorium period by the Ministry of Power.

MNRE stated that payment to REGS to be made on a regular basis throughout the lockdown period and grant REGS ‘must-run’ status.

In a major relief, MNRE notified solar project developers that time extension in scheduled commissioning of renewable projects due to the disruption of supply chains will be treated as a ‘force majeure’

event. This was a welcome move for the solar power sector, in absence of which, 3 GW of solar projects worth `160 billion were at risk of penalties for missing their commissioning deadlines, according to CRISIL Ratings data.

In addition to these government measures, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) too, announced a three-month moratorium for all borrowers on both, term and working capital loan to help corporates and consumers struggling with inadequate liquidity.

Expert suggests, in addition to the extension of project deadlines, moratorium on loans and push for digitalization in transaction, the government could consider encouraging domestic manufacturing and modifying sourcing strategy for raw materials. Domestic manufacturing can help control the impact of external disturbances, and diversification of supply chain country-wise and manufacturer-wise could help in the longer run.

The government of India has set a target of installing 175GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, of which 100GW will be generated from solar power. CII report on coronavirus and its impact on Indian solar industry estimates that output will suffer until around the middle of the year, but if it is contained by June, recovery might kick in starting the third quarter.

Corona constrains energy storage sector

China, which is known to have a lion’s share in Li-ion battery supply, controls a whopping 70 percent of global EV battery supply.

Experts project that the coronavirus outbreak could lower the output of Chinese battery manufacturers by

A force majeure provision allows developers to seek relief under “unforeseen and uncontrollable events” such as war, riots, or natural calamities thereby bringing relief from contractual liability for a stipulated period of time. Power purchase agreements signed by developers typically have strict commissioning deadlines and a failure to meet them can result in fines and encashment of bank guarantees. | March-April 2020

around 26GWh by 2020, which is an estimated 15-18 percent drop in global battery supply.

In India, the disruption in supply chain has an immediate impact on both lead-acid and the Li-ion battery manufacturing companies. The impact of supply-chain disruption on Li-ion battery makers was short-lived as most companies had stocked up Li-ion cells, separators and other supplies on account of the Chinese New Year.

“Operations were affected by about 50 percent for the month of February,” said Samrath Kochar, CEO of Trontek Group Pvt Ltd, an emerging Li-ion battery manufacturer in India. “Everything is in control now, but we had to move some shipments by air to cover the time lost.”

Like Trontek, a number of battery manufacturers could tide over the disruptions despite the supply-side delays as they had built up inventory to last, however an increase in logistic cost and time did result in cost overruns.

For battery giants like the Amara Raja Group, though none of their supplies were directly impacted, the company had already put in place a mitigation plan working ahead with their supplier base.

“We had the luxury of having first right of access to some of the stocks based on our relationship with vendors,” said Vijayanand Samudrala, CEO of the Amara Raja Group. “So, we could mitigate that.”

H o w e v e r, M r S a m u d r a l a cautioned that “if this (COVID-19 spread) continues and the problem becomes bigger domestically, more than shaking supply confidence we might see problems with internal logistics.”

Even as supply-side challenges are easing, travel embargoes, factory shutdowns and manpower migration in India has created a second wave of challenges for both Li-ion and lead-acid battery manufacturers.

Experts point out that demand for batteries is expected to fall, and cost of the product is bound to increase.

There are two primary factors driving up cost: first, land transportation in India will remain challenging in the coming months as essential supplies will compete with

35 non-essentials resulting in increased logistics time and freight cost.

Second, even after the lockdown is lifted, it will take minimum 3-4 months for the factory to return to 100 percent production capacity as it will take substantial time to remobilize workers and reskill new ones and institute new hygiene standards in the factories. As a result, some of this increased cost which will get passed on to the end consumer.

As for lead-acid battery manufacturers, a prime concern amid the crisis has been the stock of batteries getting discharged.

“Battery stocks kept in the companies’ warehouses for a period of 3-6 months stand the risk of getting discharged. Some may even get sulphated, causing early failure, warranty claims and unnecessary financial loss,” said Debi Prasad Dash, Executive Director - India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

Apart from energy storage, leadacid batteries are commonly used in telecom, renewable integration, commercial and industrial backup, and with a fall in demand, all the above verticals are also likely to experience a negative ripple effect.

Mr Dash underscored that without appropriate government intervention many domestic lead-acid manufacturers, Li-ion assemblers and ecosystem players (SMEs and MSMEs) will face severe financial crisis and a quarter of those may have to permanently close shops.

However, the silver lining in the current crisis is that it has brought back into focus the need for localization of Li-ion cells.

“Energy storage and EVs have importance for national energy security and we should learn from the recent events and accelerate our efforts for building domestic capabilities,” said Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President of India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA).

Dr Walawalkar stressed that while the Indian battery pack manufacturers are assembling high capacity packs with the goal to target electric vehicles and stationary storage market, it was high time for the industry to take up R&D and advanced cell manufacturing to reduce dependence on other countries.

As for the EV industry, even before COVID-19 EV growth had been slow to pick up due to a host of factors such demand risk, technology risk, supply chain dynamics, infrastructure concerns. But post the pandemic, EV industry’s medium term and long term future remains open to multitude of scenarios.

Experts forecast that global EV sale could plunge by 40 percent, and the domestic market could experience a 10-20 percent slow-down due to supply chain disruptions of Li-ion batteries, auto components and other electronic goods. The fall in oil prices, too, does not spell good news for the sector as buyers could prefer

purchasing internal combustion engine vehicles over the costlier electric alternatives.

As per SMEV, a group representing Indian manufacturers of EVs about 15 percent of EV dealers in India could shutdown post the lockdown.

Most EV dealership being small operators with meagre or no backup capital support, the crisis could impact their very survival.

The spurt which was once seen in purchase of EVs post the announcement of FAME-II scheme could potentially see a drop. However, what that quantum decrease would be on the entire industry remains to be seen.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that supply chain disruption and financing gaps will have an impact on solar installation, storage capacity addition and the sale of EVs. However, the crisis also brings an opportunity for all stakeholders to reflect on ways to navigate the crisis, course correct, and take action to become more nimble and resilient for the future.

Akshay Kashyap, MD - Greenfuel Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd, suggests three-fold way to tide through the current crisis – stress-testing balance sheet for the worst scenario of demand drop and delay in account receivables, reducing variable expenses to maintain strong liquidity, and showing solidarity with employees in times of crisis by retaining talent.

GROW YOUR NETWORK

Customized Energy Solutions India Pvt Ltd A-501, G-O Square, Aundh-Hinjewadi Link Road, Wakad, Pune-411057. INDIA E: contact@indiaesa.info | P: +91-20-2771 4000 March-April 2020 |

36

CORONA IMPACT

Highlights of IESA webinar on COVID impact on electricity utilities On April 2, 2020, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) held an open webinar on ‘The Role and Readiness of Electricity Utilities during COVID-19 Effect’. Over 300 participants registered for the webinar to hear experts discuss the COVID-19 crisis, Indian utilities’ readiness and the way forward.

Following are key highlights of the Speakers’ talk: Abhishek Ranjan, Asst. Vice President, System Operation (ST & ABT) BSES Rajdhani Power • There has been a reduction of 24 percent in peak demand in Delhi as of late March.

• Lower demand and input energy have resulted in record coal stock at stations and very competitive prices on PX. However, it has offered an opportunity to optimize PPC and pass on benefits to the consumers.

• On consumer-side, Utilities had taken measures to honor social distancing and issued provisional bills which could be paid online, but DISCOMs and other players in the supply chain have been impacted due to cashflow crunch.

Reductions in billing and collections is observed, with C&I consumers being the hardest hit. They have requested moratorium on bill payments.

• Present crisis is an opportunity to transform to ‘Digital Utility’. Concept of digital utility will gain currency among stakeholders post lockdown period.

• Positive fallout in Delhi has been improved air quality primarily because of negligible transportation and halt in construction activities. This makes an even stronger case for the need to push towards e-mobility and sustainable construction practices in the future. An opportunity for policymakers to assess how can EVs be rolled out at a faster pace.

• Support from State and Central government such as granting power and including RE sector ‘essential services’ status, ensured smooth operations. Special passes issued by Delhi State government allowed staff to commute.

• Consumer connect has grown.

Power providers are looking at multiple e-channels for servicing consumers. DISCOMs and consumers both are getting a chance to change the way they’re interacting with one another. | March-April 2020

37

BB Mehta – Chief Engineer, SLDC, Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) • Readiness to deal with load variations and issues like high voltages, under loading and variability of RE sources.

• 16,000 MW in Gujarat has touched bottom 6,000 MW due to drop in demand.

• High time for balancing and storage technology a must to mitigate any such fluctuation.

• Policymakers need to plan balancing and storage solutions immediately after lockdown ends.

• Post lockdown there has been a drop in demand and cashflow has been disrupted, 24x7 monitoring, utilities are constantly in touch with DISCOMs and sub SLDCs, real time updates on generation and availability maintained.

Jitendra Nalwaya, Vice President, BSES Yamuna Power • Action taken so far includes deploying minimum workforce on field. Working with 33 percent of the total workforce now. Workplace protection protocols and social distancing enforced for lineman other staff on field. Active sanitization of office, setting up back-up offices where employees can work while other areas gets sanitized, setting up nodal offices for each of the 14 divisions for operations, material planning and feedback.

• Feeders serving essential services like hospitals are being monitored closely.

• Central Control Room set up to guide employees on deployments (24x7 with medical officers and QRTs to take care of contingency).

• Taking digital engagements deeper. Helplines, complaints and bills handled online; minimized to avoid contact.

• Enough manpower available 24x7 and staggered deployment to minimize risk.

• Active power procurement management; close watch on power availability/surplus situation.

• Power scheduling and forecasting has been impacted. In March 2019, the power demand on BYPL was 878 MW load, this year it came down to 525 MW. Low load causing high voltage issue impacting and system reliability.

• Things to improve in next week or so, as summer sets in and demand will peak again.

March-April 2020 |

38

Dr. Rahul Walawalkar – President, IESA • Due to COVID-19 and resultant lockdown, India’s peak load has dropped. we’re noticing significant drop in national level load profiles seen across all the regions.

• All India reduction by 25 percent, already coal-plants running at low load factors and particularly with increasing RE in the mix it’s further running on low load • Good news is POSOCO, State, and other regulatory load dispatch centers are managing load well.

• Concerns have been raised whether India will reach 400GW load by 2030.

• GoI initiatives in so far have helped Utilities prepare better for lockdown.

MoP, MNRE have taken initiatives along with State regulators to ensure lower demand doesn’t impact long-term business operations • Government looking at stimulus plan and incentives, so once we resume activities we can start increasing industrial and manufacturing activities in the next 3-4 months.

• Utilities and grid operators need to keep long-term growth projections in mind and device solutions.

• The importance of storage has again come into the forefront for managing grid security in such conditions.

• To cater to the ingress of renewables and low load demand many conventional plants have been ramped down, this has resulted in multiple switching of loads and ramping which can be managed well with storage.

Our heartfelt gratitude to all the essential service providers, who are the silent army that keeps our world running and safe.

ETN Magazine, would like to honor and acknowledge the efforts of the workers who continue to risk their lives through the COVID-19 crisis, to keep our society strong and running. | March-April 2020

lifeline

40

CORONA IMPACT

As the coronavirus contagion grips the world, the strongest weapon to combat it is technology.

A glimpse into how it is being effectively deployed in the fight against the outbreak.

First made-in-India COVID-19 test kit delivered

P

une-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab Discovery Solutions has received commercial approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for its COVID-19 test kit. It is the first made-in-India testing kit for novel coronavirus to the market.

Mylab virologist Minal Dakhave Bhosale headed the team that successfully developed the Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit. "Our kit gives the diagnosis in two-and-a-half while the imported testing kits take six- seven hours," said Ms Bhosale. The kit was developed in a record time of six weeks as against three to four months, for which she praised her team of 10 saying they worked very hard to make the project a success.

The Mylab R&D chief won instant accolades from around the country after her story of dedication and determination went viral. She started on the research in February, working through a pregnancy complication in order to meet a deadline. She submitted the testing kit for evaluation to National

PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit Source: Mylab Discovery Solutions

Institute of Virology (NIV) the day before she delivered her daughter.

“It was like giving birth to two babies," Ms Bhosale said.

Hasmukh Rawal, MD - Mylab Discovery Solutions, said it is the first Indian firm to get full approval to make and sell COVID-19 testing kits. The PathoDetect kit has been made as per WHO/CDC guidelines, he informed. Before submitting the kits for evaluation, the team had to

Virologist Minal Dakhave (center) with her team at Mylab Discovery Solutions Source: Mylab Discovery Solutions | March-April 2020

check and re-check all the parameters to ensure its results were precise and accurate. "If you carry out 10 tests on the same sample, all 10 results should be same. And we achieved that. Our kit was perfect," said Bhosale.

On March 26, the first batch of 150 testing kits reached diagnostic labs in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Goa and Bengaluru. "Our manufacturing unit is working through the weekend and the next batch will be sent out on March 30," Dr Gautam Wankhede, Mylab's Director for medical affairs said.

Local manufacturing will be a major breakthrough for India as the company says it can supply up to 100,000 Covid-19 testing kits a week and can produce up to 200,000 if needed. Each PathoDetect kit can test 100 samples and costs `1,200 (£13 / $16) – which is about a quarter of the `4,500 that India pays to import corona virus testing kits.

The government-run Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) said Mylab was the only Indian company to achieve 100 percent results.

41

Isolation wards on track

O

n March 28, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted: "Stepping up efforts to fight coronavirus, Railways has converted a train coach into an isolation ward.”

The State-owned Indian Railways has set a target to convert 20,000 coaches into isolated hospital beds in anticipation of increasing numbers of coronavirus patients. It was reported that the proposal to offer the empty coaches to be used as ICUs was discussed in a meeting with the railway minister, the railway board chairman, general managers of all zones and divisional railway managers over videoconferencing. These railway isolation wards can serve in the hinterland or in any region needing medical facilities.

Indian Railways, which runs 13,523 trains daily, is the largest rail network in Asia and the world's second largest.

"We are geared to be part of the efforts to fight corona virus and we do have huge infrastructure with us to contribute to the effort,” a senior official said. Each of the railway’s 16 zones would convert a rake with 10

NFR modified coaches to make provision for more than 2500 isolation beds Source: N F Railway Twitter

coaches every week to be used as an isolation ward, said the official. Work on modification of 5,000 coaches, which are to be converted initially into quarantine/isolation coaches, has already started with a capacity to accommodate up to 80,000 beds.

Five zonal railways, which include the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR),

The traveling hospital The Lifeline Express or Jeevan Rekha Express is the first hospital train in the world, started in July 1991. It was a collaborative effort by Impact India Foundation, Indian Railways and the Health Ministry of India.

Jeevan Rekha Express provides treatment to patients across the country mainly those in remote areas. The hospital train is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art operation theatres. With a team of qualified doctors and surgeons, the train provides free treatment and surgeries to patients on various services relating to eye, ear, dental, cleft lip, polio, cancer and more.

The train has made a health impact both in India, as well as around the world, and has inspired similar initiatives.

Source: IMPACT

have started converting coaches at the Coach Maintenance Depot in Kamakhya and Guwahati after consulting medical professionals at its N F Railway Central Hospital, Maligaon.

The Integral Coach Factory in Perambur, Chennai said that one rake of 10 coaches will be converted into an isolation facility within a week. The Northern Railway zone is ready with the prototype. All of these can be used as hospitals on wheels with consultation rooms, medical store, ICU and pantry. Extra bottle holders and electric points are provided for medicines, IV fluids and medical equipment like oscilloscope monitor, suction apparatus, etc. Air plastic curtains have been placed between two cabins for privacy and isolation. Insulated bamboo sheets are put up on the roof and walls of the coach to reduce temperatures inside.

The Railways has asked all its coach manufacturing units and workshops to produce hospital and medical equipment including beds, sanitizer, masks and ventilators to meet the demand in the event of a massive virus outbreak.

Indian Railways has a number of Accident Relief Medical Equipment Vans (ARME) or rail ambulances which could be offered to the government. It has a total of 125 hospitals of which over 70 are being planned to be kept ready for any contingency. Around 6,500 hospital beds are also being readied.

“Railways will offer clean, sanitized and hygienic surroundings for the patients to comfortably recover,” tweeted the railway minister.

March-April 2020 |

42

CORONA IMPACT

Smart City Mission centers carry out COVID-19 ops

BBMP's 'war room' Source: BBMP Commissioner's Twitter handle

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ndiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hi-tech 100 Smart City Mission was just taking off when the coronavirus struck. A little tweaking, and the war against the pandemic is being fought better, with technology and monitoring helping to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The 45 Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC), set up under the Mission, across the country have been converted to emergency COVID-19 war rooms, that are more like hi-tech control rooms.

These have the capabilities to track the functions of municipalities at the click of a button - like CCTV security, traffic management, bus movement monitoring, etc. - were

commandeered overnight and turned into war zones to battle the virus.

Quarantine facilities are now being monitored on multiple screens, free Wi-Fi facility is being provided to quarantined people, and emotional support given; the health of suspected patients and their home quarantine is being tracked; monitoring the roads and traffic through drones is underway; and awareness messages are being conveyed through help lines.

All the 100 cities have deployed their best strategies. For example, Bengaluru converted its command and control center into a coronavirus

Integrated Command and Control Centers Source: Smart Cities Council India | March-April 2020

war room within 24 hours. This center mapped each COVID-19 positive case using GIS, tracked health care workers through GPS, and drew up containment plans using heat mapping technologies. As per a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) press release, Bengaluruâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s municipality says the war room staff work 24/7 in three shifts. They are using the format provided by WHO: map the regions affected, take measures and monitor the degree of implementation.

Tirupati has taken innovation a notch higher and home delivers groceries and other essentials through the command center.

Ujjain has set up a call center with calls classified into five categories: information about the viral symptoms, information sent about a likely infected patient, a support system for quarantined/ isolated people, etc. and other calls with related problems such as nonavailability of essential goods.

According to sources, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the nodal ministry for the 100 smart cities, has compiled a list of best practices. The innovative ideas to fight the coronavirus and develop tracking systems to ensure all suspected patients and contact lists are covered, would now be shared with urban development secretaries of all States.

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WE CAN STOP CORONA HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES LIKE COVID-19

Image: For Representation Only

Prana-Vayu indigenous ventilator

I

ndian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh, has developed a lowcost, portable ventilator to effectively treat COVID-19 patients. The R&D of the ventilator named PranaVayu, started during lockdown

Low-cost, portable ventilator Prana-Vayu Source: IIT Roorkee Twitter

necessitating the two IIT-R research team professors, Prof Akshay Dvivedi and Prof Arup Kumar Das, to be in remote communication with Dr Debendra Tripathi from AIIMS Rishikesh for his medical guidance.

Many of the parts like microprocessor-controlled non-return valves, solenoid valves, and one-way valve were d e v e l o p e d a t t h e Ti n k e r i n g Laboratory of IIT-R. The ventilator requirements for Prana-Vayu have been tested on a test lung. Keeping ease of portability as a priority, the ventilator is 1.5 ft x 1.5 ft.

It was presented to around 450 industries in a webinar organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries

(CII) and many have shown interest for its mass production. Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director - IIT-R, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are committed to augmenting the efforts of the government in tackling the pandemic.â&#x20AC;?

It is low-cost at approximately `25,000 per ventilator, reliable and can be manufactured easily and quickly. The fact that it does not require compressed air to function is a huge advantage in the light of make-shift hospitals and ICU wards being set up around the country. Additional features include remote monitoring facilities, touchscreen control of all operating parameters and temperature control for inhaled air.

March-April 2020 |

44

CORONA IMPACT

Journey towards human-centric technology With an upfront price of `89,000, Jeevtronics’ SanMitra 1000 HCT is India’s, and probably the world’s, lowest-cost hospital grade defibrillator.

Through this technology, the socio-tech venture hopes to scale its mission and bolster India’s efforts against the pandemic.

The Jeevtronics team installing the SanMitra 1000 HCT defibrillator at a hospital

A

niruddha Atre and Ashish Gawade, cofounder of Jeevtronics returned from the U.S. to develop human- centric technologies in India.

True to the cause, the duo developed world's 1st dual powered defibrillator (grid+ hand cranked), SanMitra 1000 HCT. The batteryless defibrillator the company claims is much more reliable than the traditional defibrillators and capable of working even in areas without electricity.

Jeevtronics’ SanMitra 1000 HCT is particularly useful in current crisis-like situations such as the Coronavirus disease wherein the grid electricity may or may not be

available. Sequestration areas inside hospitals for Corona victims have higher demand for defibrillators and ventilators.

Other than reliable, SanMitra 1000 HCT battery-less technology can also help hospitals cut cost related to battery replacement. It is estimate that city hospitals spend in a range of `12,000 to `35,000 annually on battery replacement for ventilators.

With an upfront price of `89,000, the company claims, Jeevtronics defibrillator is India’s and probably the world’s lowest-cost hospital grade defibrillator.

SanMitra 1000 HCT has been designed to meet international IEC standards for medical devices and

has been tested and approved by the NABL accredited lab. It has been tested for 16,000 chargedischarge cycles thereby giving it a super long life.

In so far, Jeevtronics has 64+ products deployed across states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Karnataka.

By deploying the SanMitra 1000 HCT across all Indian government PHC, CHC, district hospitals and ambulances, Jeevtronics hopes to use its technology for saving lives across India.

Jeevtronics is looking forward to government entities, CSR donors and potential investors to help scale this mission urgently. Jeevtronics is an ISO13485 certified company and is protected by several patents issued in the U.S. and India, and has more patents in the pipeline.

About the Cofounders-Both Aniruddha Atre and Ashish Gawade have a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering (Pune University / Wayne State University, USA) and a MBA from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (top 10 ranking university in the US). In addition, they have 21+ years of experience working in the U.S. and India. Over last 10 years, they have developed and commercialized several products for rural India, such as manuallypowered generator for lighting, solar products and medical devices.

Prior to this, they have worked on hybrid electric vehicles at Ford Motor Company in the US.

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46

LEADERSHIP SPEAK

Enabling energy security through innovation One of India’s largest manufacturers of lead-acid batteries, Amara Raja is keeping a close watch on emerging business opportunities, and is keen on enhancing its capabilities. Aspiring to be a part of the India growth story, Vikramadithya Gourineni, MD – Amara Raja Power System Ltd, spoke to Ashok Thakur, Chief Editor – ETN, about product development in the EV value chain, and investment in R&D to stay competitive. lot of data points being embedded into battery pack through BMS. We have also developed high efficiency and high energy density off-board chargers and charging stations. We see that there is lot to contribute towards on-board electronics where efficiency, reliability, footprint and weight are so critically important.

We are working in this direction to design on-board electronics with SiC and GaN devices to stand futuristic.

Vikramadithya Gourineni, MD – Amara Raja

In keeping with the development in the e-mobility sector - specifically with a focus on 2W and 3W - and emerging business opportunities in this arena, what disruptions do you anticipate in your present product offerings?

We have seen promising opportunities coming up in the entire spectrum of e-mobility, not just limited to 2W and 3W. Along with product innovation, business and financial model innovations are also being implemented. This is all good for the industry, and we are currently working on developing products in the EV value chain: lithium ion battery packs, charging stations, on-board electronics and software solutions.

We have already developed and released several variants of Li-ion battery packs for 2W and 3W. We are developing innovative solutions around thermal management so that our battery packs are futureready for high power, high range applications. Our battery packs will be more intelligent in future with

| March-April 2020

The prime minister has called for a long-term roadmap for all futuristic technologies. In a scenario like that RD&D will play a big role in all development; how is Amara Raja geared to enhance its capabilities?

There is no doubt R&D is very important to develop enduring solutions and to stay competitive in emerging markets like EV. Amara Raja is no exception for this and innovation being the core of our value systems, we are investing into enhancing our capabilities. We are setting up our own cell manufacturing unit at R&D pilot level. We have formed a dedicated EV cell within the group with complementing capabilities to work on lithium cell, battery packaging, chargers and software solutions.

About 50 engineers are working for this segment.

For an effective EV transition, a need to create an effective ecosystem is imperative. What is your take on the current state of e-mobility infrastructure in the country and government's role in its promotion? Could anything further be done to speed up deployment?

47 There is a mixed feedback on this.

While e-mobility infrastructure is important to the progress of EV, what I feel is that if right trigger points are available then building ecosystems is not new to India. We have seen how telecom and RE infrastructure proliferated in the country. Industry has always been ready to take up the challenges. It is good to see that the intent of the government is in right direction and I am sure that it will be able to bring out appropriate policies in the meantime.

Niti Aayog has started drafting policies around Li-ion battery manufacturing. They are addressing a lot of our issues but we still have to work along with it and the government, to make sure that we have all our concerns addressed.

What according to you will be the next revolutionary idea we will see take shape in the e-mobility sphere? Will it be from RE integration, battery innovation, or manufacturing?

Revolutionary ideas may come in the form of business models also.

Technically, product solutions are already available and what is important is you reach the right inflection points. As to what will drive towards this point, it could be a right cost structure or even a right business model.

I think it will take a decadeslong journey for India to become a manufacturing titan the scale of China, but we have excellent

“We have excellent engineering talent here in India that can be channelized to become the design house for the world. I feel India can embrace a designled approach where if not ‘Made in India’, everything starts to be ‘Designed in India’.”

engineering talent here in India that can be channelized to become the design house for the world. I feel India can embrace a designled approach where if not ‘Made in India’, everything starts to be ‘Designed in India’; we can have a very competitive advantage.

What are the factors that can drive battery manufacturing for EVs in India and what you see as hurdles?

Nearly 60 percent of investment that goes into EV is actually towards cell manufacturing. With such high stakes on investments, timing is very important. If we are too early then we will be burdened with interest rates and if we are too late, we may miss the bus.

There are plenty of players in India who are keen to find a way into this game and they have the capability to invest, but not many will invest if there are no immediate markets or demand drivers within India, or some way to ensure that volumes are being procured locally.

The government is talking about 50GW, what I am keen to see is what is being done to create a demand worth that much. Without the demand coming in the short term, it would not be the right time to put that kind of capex down today. On the other hand, even if we were to put up globally competitive 5 to 10GW factories in India, the materials are all coming from abroad and those supply chains are not well-established for countries other than China. Even if one can

put up a 5GW factory, how can one ensure that 5GW worth of lithium, cobalt and nickel is reaching the factory for production.

There are some initiatives but they need to be refined a bit. The government needs to give the sort of confidence that if 50GW factories are built in India, then 50GW worth of material is going to be made available to manufacturers. I think they are on the right path; we just have to keep working at it. it’s a collaborative process with all the interested parties. I do believe India should make the lithium cell in the country, and we do want to play a role in that. But it is important to make investments at the right intervals, and till that time we may continue to import cells and make battery packs in India.

Considering that imported cells constitute the major cost of batteries for EVs, what has been your company’s progress with respect to production of batteries and battery technology, and its applications? How will/are you addressing the cost dynamics?

Any new collaborations?

Till the time there are enough volumes in India to enable setting up cell manufacturing in India, a strategic tie-up with established cell manufacturers will help meet current Indian demand. We are exploring partnerships and are in touch with a select few, before we can announce anything on new collaborations.

March-April 2020 |

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Vikramadithya Gourineni

Developing domestic manufacturing ecosystem and capability is critical for the successful scale-up of EV adoption in India. We have been slow in picking up opportunities in the domestic manufacturing of consumer electronics and solar panels. As a nation, we can’t afford it in EV components and Li cells are critical for energy security for India.

Getting the right scale at the right time is strategically important to make successful and rewarding investments in the EV battery manufacturing sector.

So is adopting future proof technology choices, and this is where global technology partnerships will play an enabling role. For Amara Raja Group this is critical strategic consideration and we will make the right decisions and at the right time.

Amara Raja is one of the organisations that supports the Global Battery Alliance’s guiding principles for a responsible, sustainable battery chain by 2030… what has been your efforts in applying these principles that include fostering battery-enabled RE integration, and also highquality job creation and skills development?

Increasingly, the circular economy model is becoming important for sustainable development and green energy foot print. With increasing adoption of advanced battery technologies in EV and ESS applications globally, the WEF has recognized the importance of establishing a framework for effective circular economy model for EV and ES batteries as well.

Fortunately, lead-acid batteries lend themselves very amenably

“We recognize that energy storage technologies are transforming into more advanced chemistries, and this is also opening up opportunities to converge new capabilities from digitally enabled technologies” for recycling, both technically and commercially. However, in developing countries like India, lead recycling is still not being done in a completely safe and environmentfriendly manner. There are many reasons, and the unorganized grey market players are one of the key reasons behind informal recycling operations that do not conform to the established environmental standards, and are responsible for lead leakage.

The principles and commitments as articulated by the GBA would provide a framework for implementation of a scalable and sustainable approach for faster adoption of smart energy solutions for a greener future. Amara Raja has partnered in the GBA to bring the best practices in recycling, reuse, repair and refurbishment of battery systems.

Amara Raja saw a foray into the products for the auto industry when your uncle took over… to establish a foothold in an area that was already entrenched by another leading company, was a big step. Now with you - the third generation - in the business, what changes or expansion plans can we expect?

For a period of more than three decades since Amara Raja Group was founded, we have assiduously planned our growth focus on businesses that adhere to our core purpose that lays emphasis on

| March-April 2020

bringing transformation, creating positive social impact, and bringing more opportunities for people.

We have always been alive to the changing business environment and looked for bridging gaps in the market place by leveraging global technologies that could be responsibly adopted for providing products and solutions that meet or exceed the customer requirements in the markets that we operate. This has paid rich dividends.

Three decades down the line, we are a much stronger organization with best practices across our business systems, and endowed with the strong commitment of 16000+ Amara Raja family of employees.

We recognize that energy storage technologies are transforming into more advanced chemistries, and this is also opening up opportunities to converge new capabilities from digitally enabled technologies. We will continue to pursue opportunities arising out of vertical and horizontal integration of business lines and aspire to actively contribute to the India growth story.

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50

LEADERSHIP SPEAK

Setting standards for the future of mobility The co-operative industrial research association, better known as ARAI, is the sole keeper of standards both by and for the automotive industry.

Today, the Automotive Research Association of India is the go-to center for comprehensive testing of all means of mobility. Ashok Thakur, Chief Editor, ETN, interviewed Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director ARAI, to get an insight into the scope of ARAI activities, setting standards for EVs and future of e-mobility.

Could you elaborate on the outlook for electric vehicle adoption in 2020 for India?

Electric vehicle penetration is predominantly observed in public transport. This is very much in line with the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME-II), where the major focus is on promoting public transportation through EV. The Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) has already sanctioned 5,595 electric buses in 64 cities under FAME-II. This is aimed at deeper penetration in those cities which have come forward with specific intentions to

increase EV usage. To support point-to-point public transportation there is also increased action in uptake of electric 3Ws or e-rickshaws.

Opening up of permit restrictions for e-3Ws has resulted in a sudden demand from individual operators.

In addition, Energy Efficiency Storage Ltd (EESL) is procuring 1,000 electric cars for government officials and their departments.

Vehicle manufacturers are also slowly and steadily introducing new electric models in 2W, 3W and passenger car categories.

In parallel there is increased activity in establishment of charging stations by DHI under FAME-II

Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, ARAI | March-April 2020

and by PSUs such as Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd (REIL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC), EESL, etc. With all these favourable factors, electric vehicle penetration is surely expected to increase in the coming years.

Is ARAI geared to take on the additional burden of EV testing in 2020? How many additional vehicles do you envisage for this year and would it require expansion plans? Would it in any way interfere with your testing of conventional vehicles?

ARAI is geared for supporting auto industry for development, testing, validation and certification of electric vehicles and their components.

Motors, batteries, controllers, chargers etc. are being developed in the country to meet the growing demand.

ARAI has recently established and setup a Center of Excellence (CoE) for Green Mobility at its Chakan campus Inaugurated by the Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Arjun Ram Meghwal.

This centre houses comprehensive development, validation and testing facilities for electric vehicles and their components. ARAI has created a rich resource pool of appropriate simulation/ development tools and human resources to support industry in this segment.

Complete re-engineering of vehicle platforms for their suitability to electric powertrains is being done by many manufacturers using the ARAI capabilities here. Light-weight structures, alternate powertrain

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"ARAI has recently established and setup a Center of Excellence (CoE) for Green Mobility at its Chakan campus Inaugurated by the Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Arjun Ram Meghwal." design and packaging for crash compatibility, etc. are some of the challenging projects being handled at the moment.

The centre has already certified more than 110 models for Central Motor Vehicle Rule or CMVR compliance and about 30 models for FAME II qualification.

In parallel, other labs at ARAI continue to provide services for testing and approval of all categories of vehicles as per BS VI emission norms, real driving emission measurements, crash compatibility, fuel efficiency, etc.

Industry is discussing issues with the nail penetration test for EV batteries. What are your views on it?

Lithium-ion battery cells are prone to internal short circuit due to factors such as aging, manufacturing defects and others, leading to thermal runaway and battery pack fire. Hence, evaluation of battery from fire safety point of view is quite critical.

Nail penetration is one of the methods adopted to initiate cell internal short circuit. There’s ongoing research for alternate methods e.g. cell heating. At the international level, Global Technical Regulation (GTR) is already formulated and adopted by all countries for EV safety. Here, GTR covers thermal propagation requirement with initiation of cell internal short circuit using either nail penetration or heating method. With our commitment for international harmonization and vehicular safety, Indian standard AIS 038 also has been recently revised in line with global regulation.

The industry as a whole is also a part of regulation/standards development and accordingly manufacturers are taking steps to improve their battery designs to meet safety requirements.

After FAME II, do you find more components are made in India?

Could you shed some light on the number of indigenous components used in Indian EVs? Under FAME-II, the government of India has laid out clear timelines for localisation of critical EV components over a period of two years. This is specified in the scheme as Phase Manufacturing Program (PMP). Industry has started working on local development and manufacturing of these components as per PMP. This will certainly lead to indigenisation and ‘Make in India’.

In addition, with the increase in the sales volumes it is expected that local manufacturing will show a steep increase.

As backward integration has started from manufacturing EVs to manufacturing of components like battery packs and Brushless DC or BLDC motors, how do you assess this trend in the coming years? Is ARAI geared up with standards and components and sub-component levels?

It is expected that the entire ecosystem for manufacturing of electric vehicles locally is slowly getting established. In anticipation, standardization work is already undertaken at national committees such as American Institute of Steel Construction or AISC and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

AISC standards cover safety of critical components like batteries, motors, harnesses, chargers and other assemblies. These standards are notified under CMVR as mandatory requirements.

Individual component performance standards (such as connectors) are being taken up by BIS based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC) or the Import Export Code standards.

ARAI’s CoE has established requisite facilities to support industry for component development, testing/

validation and approval as per all such standards.

ARAI is the sole authority for establishing standards, testing as well as certification. As the market matures, do you see private testing and certification arising to meet the increasing need? In such a scenario would ARAI provide support in any capacity?

ARAI already has comprehensive facilities for testing and certification of EVs and components. NATRiP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project) centers are also being augmented with requisite facilities.

However, to support local development at different locations, there might be a need for clustering of small facilities. Some of the State governments are therefore planning EV clusters under their State EV policies and such clusters could have basic test facilities for local testing support for prototype development.

ARAI is providing technical support to State authorities in such endeavours.

Do we have the requisite skill sets to understand challenges with EVs and their components with regards to testing, certification and standardization?

Yes, at ARAI we do have requisite skills and competencies in this area, and we are continuously upgrading skillsets with the addition of resources, training, etc. Further, ARAI through its academy also provides specialized skilling programs to industry professionals as well as to engineering students. This has helped the industry immensely in acquiring newer skills.

When a vehicle like Hyundai Kona is certified at a lower mileage in Korea, why is there a difference in the certified mileage in India?

Mileage or range test of EVs is done in the laboratory under standard test conditions. Also, the test cycle which is followed in India differs from what is followed in other countries.

Thus, the difference in the measured range could be attributed to test cycle and local driving and ambient conditions.

March-April 2020 |

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Rashmi Urdhwareshe receives Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019 On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, Rashmi Urdhwareshe, Director, Automobile Research Association of India received the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar 2019 at the hands of President of India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Nari Shakti Award is the highest civilian award which recognizes achievements and contributions made by women. The award was given to Mrs Urdhwareshe for her exemplary contribution in Women Leadership and Empowerment.

Mrs Urdhwareshe joined ARAI as a researcher in instrumentation in 1983, at a time when the automotive sector was regarded strictly as a male dominion. Over the years she developed electronic controls of hydraulic testing machines which were used to set up the ARAI's fatigue test lab; her contributions towards developing India’s first emission lab with stringent emission regulations in the country have been nothing short of outstanding.

She has been the force behind the BS-VI norms and has been instrumental in implementing them.

The recently opened Center of Excellence (CoE) on Green Mobility under her leadership aims at working with industry partners to develop alternate fuel options, sustainable mobility solutions with special focus on e-mobility.

Mrs Urdhwareshe describes her long association with the ARAI as a ‘most challenging yet pleasurable time building an organization.’ Mrs Urdhwareshe along with a lady colleague created a new Automotive Electronics department that worked through the global competitive scenario along with Indian industry.

The organization has developed Battery Management System (BMS), AC/DC charging stations as per Bharat EV/CCS/CHAdeMO. At present, they are working on developing electric axle (rear axle with electric motor and gearbox) for electric three-wheelers. They have developed an innovative hybrid electric solution for motorcycles and are also working on a fast-charging solution for e-2Ws and e-3Ws. Since 2014 Mrs Urdhwareshe has been director of ARAI. True to her calling, she has made ARAI a premier institution and brought it to the level of one of the most reputed organizations in the country, with rich facilities and expertise.

She believes that women bring a very different perspective to their work and projects. They are committed, focused and ethical – all qualities essential in building a successful and strong organization; their ability to multitask, in her view, allows them to score over their male counterparts.

Among her many talents, Mrs Urdhwareshe has undertaken the creation of the National Automotive Technology Museum and she has co-authored a book on total quality management. A state-level bridge champion and a trained sitar player, she retires from ARAI in March 2020. When asked if she has any projects or plans in mind after her 37-year-long innings with ARAI, her answer is a lively: “Yes, most certainly, but break ke baad!"

| March-April 2020

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INSIDE TECHNOLOGY

Gravity-based storage: Long duration backup for renewables Dr. Satyajit Phadke Manager - R&D Customized Energy Solutions

T

he need for very long duration storage of energy is gradually emerging due to ongoing changes in the power generation scenario. We are beginning to incorporate more and more renewables in the generation mix, which comes with its own set of challenges when it comes to ensuring a consistent power supply.

This necessitates storage of energy over a period of days or even months and to fulfil this application a new set of technologies is being developed.

Examples of such applications

Imagine a situation where a town or city or a large industrial hub needs to be powered entirely by renewable energy. The daily peak power demand can be in the range

of few GWs and the daily energy requirement could be 10s of GWh. In the existing scenario of the electrical grid, most of the baseload and the variation is taken care of by adjusting the output of coalpowered, hydroelectric or nuclearpowered plants. The output of these generation sources can be fully controlled by humans as per the instantaneous demand, but what happens when we are entirely relying on renewables? How do we ensure that everyone has power on demand when the power generation as well as the power consumption, both are variable on a daily basis?

For this, we need very long duration storage. There are two aspects to it: Daily backup of renewables: Energy would need to be stored and dispatched on a daily basis to compensate for the variation of solar and wind power production.

The size of this storage could be 50-100 percent of the daily energy requirement (few GWh at least). It could be even more if it is designed to compensate for very low production

days (overcast conditions in case of solar and lull periods in wind speed for wind farms).

Seasonal storage: Both solar and wind power production vary greatly between seasons. Solar panels are generally facing in the average direction of the Sun to maximize the annual output (south facing in the northern hemisphere and vice versa).

However, between winter and summer there could be at least 20-25 percent variation in the daily energy output and peak power. Similarly, in India the wind farm productivity is much higher in the winter seasons. There are two ways to take care of these seasonal variations.

First one is that we largely oversize the power generation in comparison to the demand. Thus, we ensure that the demand is lower than the production even in the low productivity season. The only downside to this is that the power generation facility would be much under-utilized in the high productivity season. The second option is that we augment the seasonal storage capability. The size of seasonal storage facilities is

Daily variation of power demand and power generation (solar and wind) for a real world application.

Daily variation of power demand and power generation (solar and wind) for a real world application. Source: COMETS Source: COMETS modelling tool developed at Customized Energy Solutions (CES)

modelling tool developed at Customized Energy Solutions (CES) | March-April 2020

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1060 MW pumped storage hydro facility located on the Schwarza River in Thuringia, Germany. It commenced operation in October 2004 and has four 265 MW pump turbines.

likely to be 20-40 times bigger in GWh as compared to the storage for daily backup.

Characteristics of long-duration storage technologies

Now that we understand the future applications of stationary storage technologies, we can begin to scope out the cost and performance characteristics of such systems.

Duration: Such systems will need to store energy over a period of days or months depending on whether they are serving daily backup or seasonal storage needs. Specifically, in the case of seasonal storage, the self-discharge should be very low (<1 %/month). Self-discharge are

the ‘idling losses’ or loss of energy which occurs during periods of nonusage of the storage system.

Large size (GWh, GW): As described in the previous section, such storage technologies will need to be in the range of multiple GW and 10s or 100s of GWh, depending on whether it is for daily backup or seasonal backup options respectively.

Cost ($/kWh): For a lot of the applications being currently considered such as EVs (electric vehicles), stationary storage, home backup, UPS applications for domestic and industrial locations, the cost target has been set at 100 $/kWh. All of these applications are in the kWh or MWh range.

Considering that long-duration storage or seasonal storage will be several GWh, the cost target would be somewhere close to 10 $/kWh. Long life (years): For smaller

applications such as home backup or for EVs, we do not mind replacing the battery every 3-8 years.

However, for extremely large GWh storage systems set up with a huge capital cost, the expectation would be to have a 30- 50-year life.

Prospective technologies for very long duration storage

Most of the technologies currently available in this category rely on the storage of energy (charging) by moving a large mass up. Similarly, release of energy (discharging) is done by moving the same mass down. In these cases, the size of the system is mainly guided by the

density of the material, which is being hauled up and down. Water has a standard density of 1000 kg/ m3. Pumped hydro utilizes water as the storage medium. Other technologies under development are focused on using other materials with a higher density such as concrete (2400 kg/m3), rocks (3500 kg/m3), steel (8050 kg/m3) or lead (11342 kg/m3). This means that if water were replaced by steel, the volume of required material would be reduced by approximately eight times for storing the same amount of energy (GWh).

Pumped hydro: Globally, there is about 142 GW and 2500 GWh of pumped hydro storage capacity

Schematic of Gravity based energy storage system by ARES. Inset shows image of a test prototype.

March-April 2020 |

56

Â

Pictorial representation of a gravity energy storage system. Inset shows the procedure for charge & discharge of the system.

Source: Energy Vault

 installed.

It is technologically very mature and exhibits very long service lifetimes. One of the constraints for this type of storage is that it relies on the availability of specific geological features such as that shown in the image. There need to be two water bodies located at different elevations and not too far from each other.

This places a restriction on where these systems can be located. On a non-technology front, obtaining environmental permits for these type of projects is a time taking process and can often delay the set up time significantly.

ARES (Advanced Rail Energy Storage): This company is developing a technology for storing energy by moving heavy objects along a railway line up the slope to a yard located at the top. The rails are driven by electric motors and considering the friction losses, an

efficiency of 80 percent is expected.

The systems are being designed for 15-25 GWh of storage capacity. To save up on construction costs, this system will also need to be set up in a hilly region where the slope is not too steep. This technology is currently in the initial development stage.

Energy vault: This technology relies on storing and releasing energy via constructing and deconstructing a building respectively. The cranes located on top have multiple electric motors, which pull up modular blocks of concrete to raise a building as shown in the inset. According to the available information, each tower will store about 80 MWh of energy and operate with a roundtrip efficiency of about 80-90 percent. This company has recently received funding from Softbank. Few other companies developing technologies based on similar principles are Gravitricity and

Heindl Energy.

Conclusion: One of the advantages of these technologies presented is that they are reliant on system components, which have already been engineered to perfection for other applications. For example, electric motors, railway lines and engines, cranes and concrete structures are widely used and manufactured globally on a large scale already. As a result, new inventions or more importantly development of new materials and new manufacturing processes is not required. Specifically from the Indian perspective, this presents a tremendous opportunity as many of the required skills and technologies are already being mass manufactured domestically. As a result, India can play a leading role in the development of such storage solutions for the global market.

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58

STATE FOCUS

Maharashtra power sector: Leading the energy transition race With an installed generation capacity of 43,471.28 MW, the state of Maharashtra leads India’s power generation capacity, but as the share of renewable energy increases in the energy mix, new policies and proactive measures will shape the State’s power system in the future.

I

ndia is a country with huge diversity. This is not only limited to the geography but also to all other facets of the economic value chain. In the previous issue of ETN, we focused on the Union Territory of Delhi and how it is ramping up efforts to be future-ready in terms of energy transition. In this issue, we will focus on Mumbai, the financial capital of India; and more broadly, on the state of Maharashtra and how its bracing itself for the dynamic grid of tomorrow.

Maharashtra is one of the power houses of the Indian economy.

It is the biggest contributor to India’s GDP. The state has also witnessed tremendous industrial growth in the recent past. It is known as one of the most densely populated States in India. Its capital Mumbai, is the world’s second most densely populated city with 26,357 persons

per square kilometer. This is much higher than comparable metros like Delhi which lags behind at 11,320 persons per square kilometer.

To add to that is the overcrowded public transportation system – Mumbai’s suburban trains – ferries more than 7.5 million passengers daily, making it the world’s busiest suburban railway network. Thus, it’s easy to comprehend the vast energy demand that the State puts forward.

Maharashtra has the largest base of electricity consumers among all States. The power sector in the State has witnessed substantial improvement over the past decade due to an increase in generation capacity and a strengthening of network infrastructure, leading to an improvement in power supply position of the State. With per capita energy consumption of 1,239 kWh, Maharashtra is among

the top 10 States in terms of energy consumption. In terms of electrification, it has made notable progress in electrification of the last mile, in fact, it has already achieved 100 percent electrification as per government records. The State constitutes roughly 14 percent of the total installed electricity generation capacity in India. It has an ambitious renewable energy policy that targets 14,400MW by 2020, including generation from solar, bagasse, small hydro, biomass, industrial waste and solar hybrids.

The Maharashtra State government has prioritized generation of energy from renewable sources and is the first State to establish a green energy fund that will finance transmission of renewable energy projects.

At present, Maharashtra has a generating capacity of 9.7 MW of Image for representation purpose only

| March-April 2020

59 renewables (3rd highest in India).

The actual energy shortage in Maharashtra in 2019 was 0.1 percent, as anticipated due to estimated energy surplus of 2.2 percent.

The increasing share of solar and wind energy in Maharashtra (up from 6.5 percent today) will redefine how the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power system is organized, planned and operated in the coming years. With Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) having set a high Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) target of 25 percent by 2025, system flexibility will be a key issue for the State.

Maharashtra has an installed generation capacity of 43,471.27 MW (as on February 2020) the largest in the country with highest share of private ownership of around 22,004.27 MW capacity. Reason being the State of Maharashtra had launched a successful IPP policy which has attracted several private players to set up power generating projects in the State.

Implementation of pilot on SCED

The implementation of the pilot on security constraint economic dispatch (SCED) in ISGS pan India was directed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) w.e.f. April 1, 2019. The pilot has been implemented for all the thermal ISGS that are regional entities and whose tariff is determined or adopted by the central commission for their full capacity honouring the existing scheduling practices prescribed in the grid code.

Further, the central commission directed the extension of the pilot up to March 31, 2020. Although POSOCO reports showing positive sides of these pilot, it is equally urgent to focus on overcoming issues faced by these pilot plants.

Common issues raised by thermal plants during implementation of this pilot project were with respect to flexibility, reliability, design and safety factors of the plants.

In Maharashtra, Bhusawal Unit-5 (500MW) and Parali Unit- 8 (250MW) have been identified for pilot project demonstration for flexibility of coal-based thermal unit. Few of the technical challenges include operating on lower PLF, increased forced outage and O&M cost, reduction in efficiency due to poor heat rate and high auxiliary power, loss of useful life of components due to fatigue and creep. These things need serious consideration because the impact of these challenges is long term.

We also require few regulatory regimes since current regulations put limitations on account of fuel charges and normative parameters set by the regulator. Other than the above points, the scope of SCED covers all generating stations whose tariff is determined or adopted by the CERC, the IPPs are left out.

Even if under competitive bidding under Section 63 of the Electricity Act 2003, wherein tariff discovered is much lower than many of the thermal generating stations under ISGS, the nature of PPAs do not allow sale of surplus power beyond the requisitioned supply. This may cause discomfort and limitations while expanding the ambit of SCED.

Renewable energy sector

Image for representation purpose only

In terms of renewable energy, Maharashtra is one of the States with highest installed capacity of renewable energy sources in its overall energy mix. Keeping in mind the future, MERC issued March-April 2020 |

60 RPO regulations in 2019 and has set specific targets for solar and non-solar RE sources from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025. The solar RPO targets from the year 2020 will be 4.5 percent going up to 13.5 percent by the year 2025.

Distribution licensee shall endeavor to achieve total RPO target notified by the Central Government and for doing so it will get incentive of `0.25 per kWh for RE procured above the minimum percentage.

With increasing RE mix in the overall supply in the State, there may be a need for additional investments to ensure grid stability/reserve.

The table below shows the current progress of RE in Maharashtra.

Although wind power and other types of RE power are promising to reach the targets, solar still needs to pick up the pace to reach the targets set by MNRE and State government.

The other dynamic of being a high RE resource State is the high penetration of RE in the grid, due to which the State DISCOMs are backing down cheaper conventional power to manage the mismatch between State demand profile and supply from RE projects. The good part here is that RE generators till now have not faced any back down issues in the State. In order to manage variability of current RE generation, the State has flexible capacity in the form of storage hydro capacity of 250 MW (Ghatghar) and 2,000 MW of hydro capacity. As per the State Working Group, the current flexible capacity is enough to manage the current RE penetration.

However, to meet MNRE targets, the State would require around 3.3 GW of flexible capacity on an annual average basis by FY 2022. As per

Image for representation purpose only

the State generation planning, the State will have a flexible generation capacity of 1.4 GW by FY 2022 and would have to rely on other States for the remaining. The capability also includes enhancing, ramping up and down capabilities during late evening and early morning hours in the instance of high solar penetration. Thus, here storage can also play an instrumental role, apart from pumped hydro, the State is also looking into other modes of storage on both supply side and demand side management, which is both technically and commercially viable.

In terms of RPO compliance, Maharashtra is among the top States. As per the State Working Group, the State has achieved 100 percent compliance in 2016-17.

Further, it has one of the strongest intra-State networks. The State is also planning to add another 3.6 GW of transmission capacity in view of the State RE targets. The focus is also on developing distributed projects to reduce the transmission

2022 MNRE Target

2020 State Targets

Progress (as on Febâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;20)

Wind Power

5,961MW

5000

5000.33 MW

Small Hydro Power

794 MW

400 MW

379.575 MW

Bio-Energy

3424 MW

500 MW

2528.69 MW

Solar Power

64,320 MW

7500 MW

1801.80 MW

Total Estimated Potential

74,500 MW

14400 MW

9710.40 MW

*Source: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, CEA, MEDA | March-April 2020

requirement and it is planning to develop projects for sale of power outside Maharashtra in view of MNRE targets.

Maharashtra State needs to consider a proactive approach for network development in advance, keeping in view the upcoming RE addition. The time period for development of the transmission infra element is large compared to the time required for the completion of solar and wind power projects.

Thus, this approach not only encourages RE developers to set up projects in the State but also ensures timely completion of evacuation facilities.

Policy and regulatory overview

The power sector is one of the crucial constituents contributing to the economic growth of the nation. Adequate development of the sector is essential for sustainable development of the Indian economy. Over the period, Indian power sector has witnessed significant transformation that has completely redefined the industry outlook. Development in the sector was not only limited to encouraging investments but also adopting policy and regulatory restructuring that helped India rise to prominence on the global energy map. As per the latest world energy statics published

by International Energy Agency in 2019, India is the 3rd largest producer of electricity in the world and it ranks 106th in terms of per capita consumption as of 2017.

61 Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), is the key State institution that finalizes policies in the RE sector of Maharashtra. RE policies released in 2015 received applause from the renewable industry. Now, with the ongoing trend and upcoming technology developments, wind and solar policies are under review and going to be released soon. Technologies like hybrid storage and others are expected to be included in the upcoming policies.

MERC through the MERC Grid Interactive Rooftop Renewable Energy Generating Systems Regulations 2019, allowed consumers who sanctioned load up to 10 kW to be exempted from payment of grid support charges for net metering systems. In line with this, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) for FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in its multi-year tariff petition has proposed the grid support charges for net metering systems for the control period of FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.

Proposed grid support charges for high-tension (HT) category (Rs./kVAh) varies between `4.46/ kWh and `8.66/kWh for domestic consumers and between `5.06/ kWh and `8.76/kWh for commercial consumers. For industrial consumers, the variation would be between `3.60/kWh and `4.08/kWh. During public hearings, several consumers, developers and other stakeholders made representations regarding MSEDCL’s proposal to levy grid support charge on solar rooftop PV system (net metered). They argued against excessive levy, and labeled it as a retrograde step that will hamper the future growth and deployment of RTPV systems in Maharashtra.

The commission in its final tariff order, has decided not to impose any grid support charges on rooftop solar installations until the State achieves solar rooftop capacity of 2,000 MW However, MERC has approved banking charges in the form of energy adjustment. It would be 7.5 percent for HT lines and 12 percent for low-tension (LT) of the energy being banked in the grid.

EV Sector

Maharashtra has also been one of the earliest States to come out with an EV policy in 2018. The State has set the vision to make Maharashtra a globally competitive State for EV and component manufacturing and it also aims to maximize the adoption of EV within the State. The same will be done through enabling fiscal and non-fiscal benefits, creation of dedicated infrastructure for charging the EVs and promotion of R&D and innovation through the creation of R&D institutes in the State. The policy targets to generate investment of `25,000 crore for EVs and component manufacturing and in the process generate job opportunities.

The State also proposed incentives for the purchase of EVs and setting up EV infrastructure in the State.

Here are the few major incentives proposed: • Government to promote EV in public transport in six cities i.e.

Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Thane, Nagpur, and Nashik.

• Subsidy for the first 100,000 EVs registered in the State (70,000 2Ws, 20,000 3Ws, and 10,000 4Ws all categories combined).

• Ten percent subsidy on base price (maximum `20 lakh per vehicle) to private/public bus transport buyers for the first 1000 EV passenger buses to be registered in State.

The subsidy will be transferred to buyers account within three months of purchase.

• Fifteen percent subsidy on base price (maximum `5,000 for e-2Ws, `12,000 for e-3Ws, and `1 lakh for e-4Ws per vehicle).

• Exemption from road tax and registration fees for EVs. • Commercial public EV charging stations for electric 2Ws, 3Ws, cars and buses will be eligible for 25 percent capital subsidy on

equipment/machinery (max. `10 lakh per station) for the first 250 commercial public EV charging stations.

• The rate of electricity for EV charging will be applicable as per locations where the EV charging stations will be installed across the State, for e.g. if a charger is installed in the mall, the rate applicable to the malls will be applicable. Likewise, if it’s installed in an industrial area then industrial rate will be applicable and if it’s residential then the residential rate will be applicable.

• Petrol pumps will be allowed to setup charging stations freely subject to the area, fire, and safety standard norms of relevant authorities under relevant acts/rules.

The government also rolled out tariffs for EV charging with special rates to charge for during the off-peak hours in a day. India’s first fleet of EVs was rolled out in Nagpur by OLA in association with Mahindra Electric. Under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) policy, 317 charging stations have been allotted to Maharashtra.

MSEDCL has also proposed setting up of 500 charging stations in the State over the next three years.

Maharashtra as of now has around 35,000 EVs on road, most of which are 2Ws and 3Ws, but over the last year, there has been a deployment of e-buses too in various cities like Mumbai, Pune, and others. Purple launched the first intercity e-bus on February 14 this year, between Mumbai and Pune. Apart from that, the State transport body is set to procure 150 such e-buses that will connect various cities across Maharashtra, including the widely used Mumbai-Pune and MumbaiNashik routes.

Author information:

Bindu Madhavi Manager Regulatory and Policy, IESA March-April 2020 |

Debmalya Sen Senior Consultant CES

62

E-MOBILITY

Explained: The inner workings of an electric vehicle Many electric vehicle drivers marvel about what controls how fast their EVs charge with rapid chargers in different conditions. Others, are curious about what causes the car charging to slow down when the vehicle gets old or what happens when you charge it over 70 – 80 percent. In this article, Awadhesh Jha, VP Fortum Charge & Drive attempts to answer a few of these questions that cross several EV enthusiasts’ mind but often go unanswered.

A

n EV controls how much power it takes from DC rapid charging. Therefore, a combination of factors such the vehicle, its electronics, and battery determine how quickly the EV charges. In particular, there are two main factors that have a bearing on EV charging: first, how full the battery is (voltage/state of charge) and second, what’s its temperature like (i.e. how cold or hot).

EV slows down charging when it reaches 70 – 80 percent state-of-charge

To understand how this happens with rapid charging, we must understand how the battery is built.

The battery cells in your EV consist of a positive and negative electrode, and an electrolyte that allows the lithium ions to move between the electrodes in one direction or another, depending on whether the car is being charged. When charging the battery, positive lithium ions are transferred to the negative electrode until it is full.

Charging power decreases when you have reached a certain SoC level in the battery cells. This is typically around 70-80 percent.

When it starts to get full, there is a narrower amount of space for the lithium ions in the negative electrode.

The electrode needs more time to free up space for the lithium ions that are flowing into it. Therefore, charging power decreases when you have reached a certain SOC level in the battery cells. This is typically around 70-80 percent.

Effect of temperature on battery charging

Batteries operate over a wide temperature range. While both charging and discharging speeds are affected by different temperature conditions, the charging process is more delicate than discharging and special care must be taken. Extreme cold and high heat reduce charge acceptance, so the battery must be brought to a moderate temperature before charging.

Awadhesh Jha Vice President Fortum Charge & Drive

Effects of cold temperature

When it’s cold, lithium ions move slower in the electrolyte. | March-April 2020

Electrochemical processes are sensitive to temperature. Using the same charging power, the cell voltage will be higher than at more ideal temperatures. This can destroy the cells, and consequently charging power may be reduced. The car communicates with the charger and automatically ensures that the current decreases. One supplier has estimated that a normal size battery pack on an EV can expect 30 minutes charging time from 0 – 80 percent at 10°C. At O°C, charging time will increase to 45 minutes, and at -10°C, charging time may reach 90 minutes. At -20°C, it will take about 90 minutes with battery heating; without battery heating it will take about 3 hours.

Effect of Heat

Heat is the worst enemy of batteries. Lithium-ion performs well at elevated temperatures but prolonged exposure to heat reduces longevity. Charging and discharging at elevated temperatures is subject to gas generation that might cause a cylindrical cell to vent and a pouch cell to swell. Most of the time high temperature effects are attributed to the high internal temperature of LIBs during operation. The high internal temperature is caused by heat generation inside the LIBs, which happens at high current state, including operations with fast charging rate and fast discharging rate. The high temperature effects will also lead to the performance degradation of the batteries, including loss of capacity and

63 power. Generally, the loss of lithium and the reduction of active materials under high temperatures will result in the loss of the capacity, while the increase of internal resistance is responsible for the loss of power.

When it’s hot, lithium ions move slower in the electrolyte.

How to get the best charging in summer

The highest power is obtained when the car is moderately hot and has little power in the battery.

• Do not use a fast charger immediately after driving for a longer distance. Allow the battery to cool before plugging in at a fast-charging station. In this case, charging will be more efficient after a cooling time or at a standard charger (AC).

• Do not charge more than 70 percent at a fast charger if you

Fortum charging stations for EVs

can reach the next charger within the range it provides. The more power you require in your battery, the slower the charge goes. The charging becomes slow after 70 percent SoC, it would be good to allow others to charge.

Effect of life of battery on charging speed

The health of a battery is determined by examining three fundamental attributes:

Electric vehicle gets charged at a 50-kW fast charging Fortum charging station

• Capacity of the battery - The ability of the battery to store energy • Internal resistance of the battery The ability to deliver current; and • Self-discharge ability of the battery An old Li-ion battery is likely to take more time to charge than a new Li-ion battery for the same power.

With age, Li-ion battery loses its charge transfer capability. This is caused by the formation of passive materials on the electrodes, which inhibits the flow of free electrons which diminishes the porosity on the electrodes, decreases the surface area, lowers the lower ionic conductivity and raises migration resistance.

This can also be understood by having an analogy of lifting a weight with a rubber band. The new battery has less slack than to the aged pack and can accept charge longer before going into saturation. The charge current is constant till the cell reaches its voltage limit, after that the battery saturates and the current drops until the battery can no longer accept further charge and the fast charge terminates. This explains the longer charge time of an older Li-ion with less capacity. I liked the analogy of this phenomena with a young athlete running a sprint with little or no slow-down towards the end, while the old athlete gets out of breath and begins walking, prolonging the time to reach the goal.

March-April 2020 |

64

NEO ENTRY

Propelling growth with e-hauling products

T

he Hyderabad-based startup Cellestial E-Mobility, launched its first e-tractor early last month. The electric powered tractor, engineered to be zero-emission and environment-friendly, is designed to benefit the Indian agri and goods carriage market.

The 6HP e-tractor (equivalent to 21HP diesel tractor) is equipped with features like battery swapping, regenerative braking, power inversion (can be used to power a UPS), charging from residential AC outlet and fast charging. Making it an ideal vehicle for horticultural or greenhouse works, or even moving goods within factories, warehouses and to haul baggage at airports.

Cellestial E-Mobility was set up in May 2019, and was funded with $200,000 as initial investment from Singapore-based strategic investor.

Its e-haulage products and services aim to cater to the requirement of electrical mobility systems. The company believes ‘Green is the new Innovation’, and is working on creating smart automotive solutions through designing and manufacturing vehicles powered by sustainable energy sources.

Following is an online interview with Siddharth Durairajan, CEO & Founder – Cellestial E-Mobility, where he talks about the salient features of the e-tractor and the company’s future plans.

There isn’t much of a demand for e-tractors in India yet, earlier launches have not seen much of a success. What is going to be your strategy for the Indian market?

At business model development stage, we have investigated reasons for e-tractors failure, globally. With major reason for failure being low runtime, we have completely separated out the e-tractor business model from that of batteries and introduced what is called e-Huts, a battery swapping station.

Cellestial e-tractors also come with powerful BMS (Battery Management System) to optimize supply between motor and battery. Addressing these issues has been our strategy since day one of Cellestial incorporation.

What are the things, according to you, that will pose a challenge in creating a niche for a product like yours?

There are quite a few challenges I could think of, but the major challenges are lack of standardization in advanced agricultural equipment, poor charging infrastructure by government and high investment capital required for setting up the business.

What is the battery technology used? Do all your e-tractors come with the battery swapping feature? Where are the batteries manufactured?

Battery technology used in our first e-tractor is high-energy lithium battery pack (Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide). While cells are USA made, battery pack is integrated at Chennai.

And yes, all our e-tractors come with a battery swapping feature.

Do you have a tie-up for the production of the e-tractors? What are your initial production plans?

One of Cellestial’s Directors is also an owner of a large manufacturing unit at Balanagar. So, I would say Cellestial already has a production line of its own. Nevertheless, we would be singing a few tie-ups in next few months to scale production. We

The Cellestial E-Mobility founding members (L to R): Syed Mubasheer (Partner), Siddhartha Durairajan (CEO), Midhun Kumar (Director-Manufacturing), and Vinod Moudgil (Director) | March-April 2020

65

Cellestial E-tractor Specs • Can cover up to 75kms on a single charge • Has max power of 18 HP and 53 NM peak torque • Reaches a speed of up to 20 kmph • Recharges in 6 hours with Cellestial’s proprietary Residential Charger, at any conventional single-phase 16 Amps outlet • Can fast-charge in 2 hours, in an industrial infrastructure setup

plan to build around 8,000 e-tractors in the next 36 months.

Tell us about the unique features of your e-tractor. Can it be used as an all-terrain vehicle or mainly for agricultural purposes? Which tractor type segment do you fall under?

Cellestial e-tractors come with interesting features such as battery swap model, regenerative braking system, and a very powerful battery management system. In addition to this, we are likely to introduce our patent features EPEA, to eliminate physical elements such as steering assembly, hydraulic braking assembly, gearbox and other transmission units. These can be eliminated with a simple Microprocessor, Intelligent Unit, taking the e-tractor to a whole new level.

With implements attached, the e-tractor can be used to perform most of the agricultural tasks. It can also be used for multiple terrains. Apart from agricultural conditions, these tractors can be used for warehouses haulage, airport haulage, ground lawn dressing application, landscaping, etc. By appearance, our e-tractor falls under narrow tractors segment. We will enter other segments as we develop more variants.

The homologation process for newer, smaller companies can be quite expensive… would you call it a deterrent?

Everyone big had to start somewhere

The Cellestial electric tractor

and that somewhere is usually small.

We are inspired to make it big and inspire others to join us in the journey.

Only competition can propel growth.

We are all in!

One of the problems facing the farming community is the lack of skilled people, so using your vehicle might pose similar issues; how do you propose to tackle that?

With rapid advancement in agricultural industry and growing every year, I would say basic understanding of farming is essential over complete farming skill. Since we are the early bird in the market, this enables us to roll out number of variants in a very short time. In a year or so we plan to roll out first Indian automated e-tractor to perform all agricultural tasks automatically.

Are you planning to introduce an autonomous version of the e-tractor in the future?

Yes, we are working on an autonomous e-tractor, with an idea to minimalize human intervention in the farming process. In a year or two we will be ready with first working prototype. It will be the most fascinating invention in agricultural field yet.

Tell us a bit about your venture… how it started, your partners, product range, etc.

The Cellestial e-mobility team comprises seasoned professionals

from varied domains, with an idea of developing electric vehicles. It all started with casual conversion over a cup of coffee with Syed, our battery expertise partner. From there on the idea shaped further as other partners, Midhun and Vinod joined us. Of course, with a lot of help from our angel investor M. Sudhakar Reddy.

While we are working on developing the e-tractor, we are simultaneously working on other products to cater electric vehicles for passenger carriers, goods carriers and haulage vehicles.

How has the infusion of funding impacted your growth plans?

Which area are the funds being focused on and why?

It hardly took us a month to raise the first round of investment, and we are in discussions with prospective investors. This shows willingness of investors to invest in e-mobility. Our idea to manufacture 8,000 e-tractors in the next 36 months and developing further advanced variants in e-tractors and other e-products, seem like an obvious reality now.

Developing electric tractors and vehicles is more about technology than anything else. So, majority of our start-up capital was directed towards R&D. With prototype in place, we are now channelizing our funds equally between R&D and improving manufacturing capabilities.

March-April 2020 |

66

BATTERY STORAGE

Battery swapping: Game changer for EVs in India The transition to e-mobility can be made easy by finding a solution that will make the experience of recharging effortless for the end-users.

Battery swapping in these segments presents a leapfrog opportunity to achieve India’s EV dreams, says Shilpi Samantray, Manager of Climate Change & Mission Electric - Ola Mobility Institute.

I

ndia is making a big push for EVs by creating enabling policies and increasing investor’s confidence to ensure an inflow of capital for EV-focused startups. Despite these efforts to create a favorable market, the infrastructure to support the EV adoption in the country still remains a big challenge. Indian roads are dominated by small vehicle segments with more than 80 percent of the total vehicles comprising 2Ws. The Indian market is different when compared to the western countries where a majority of the vehicles are 4Ws. As per the 2019 EV sales figures in India, out of the 7,60,000 EVs that were sold in India, small vehicle segments, comprising 2W and 3W, dominated 99 percent of the share. Therefore, an India-tailored solution is required to accelerate EV adoption. In this particular case, all

efforts by the government should be channelized and focused attention should be given to these smaller vehicle segments.

Last year, Ola Mobility Institute studied the country’s first multi-modal e-mobility pilot in Nagpur and one of the key findings was that the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) advantages for 4W is still years away. The electrification of 4W requires a significant commitment to infrastructure, thereby making it an expensive prospect overall. This further strengthens the fact that India’s

Shilpi Samantray | March-April 2020

priority sequence of EV transition should be 2W and 3W, followed by public and shared transport vehicles including 4W and buses.

The transition from existing ICE vehicles to EVs can be smoothened by finding a solution that can mimic the existing petrol pumps and will make the experience effortless for the end-users. Battery swapping in these segments presents a leapfrog opportunity to achieve India’s EV dreams. It is a charging mechanism in which a discharged battery is

67 swapped or interchanged with a fully charged one. The entire process of swapping takes no longer than 2-3 minutes, thereby imitating the experience of a fuel pump. While the industry is looking at charging stations, battery swapping should be treated as an alternate and promising charging option for 2Ws and 3Ws. To make the adoption in 2Ws and 3Ws convenient, cost-effective, and seamless for the end-users, we need to make the process as user-friendly as possible. Users would want the benefit of EV but not the inconvenience of refueling.

Traditional charging technology today, takes between 2-6 hours to charge the battery.

Taking cue from the somewhat close cousin of EVs - the CNG vehicles (where refueling takes at least 10-20 minutes waiting in line), EV charging experience would be 10 times as inconvenient and equally undesirable. To avoid the same mistakes, the refueling experience should be as convenient as the petrol pump. Enter battery

EV Sales in India Segment

FY 2019

FY 2018

e-2Ws

1,26,000

54,800

e-3Ws

6,30,000

NA

e-4Ws

3,600

1,200

Total

7,59,000

56,000

Battery swapping in these segments presents a leapfrog opportunity to achieve India’s EV dreams. It is a charging mechanism in which a discharged battery is swapped or interchanged with a fully charged one. swapping! It will eliminate wait time for charging, make better use of land, reduce the size of batteries in vehicles and will give an increased available run time.

To gain consensus on battery swapping as an alternative for early adoption of e-2Ws and e-3Ws, OMI hosted a policy dialogue. The platform brought together key market actors, thought leaders, influencers to recognize, discuss and align ideas on battery swapping as a viable charging model. Market leaders such as EESL, BSES, Kinetic Green, Exicom, Delhivery, AEEE, and Sun Mobility participated and collectively endorsed India’s first ‘shared resolution on battery swapping’. The shared resolution highlights battery swapping as a model for charging smaller vehicles, creating favorable economics for consumers, DISCOMs and energy operators.

A few key benefits of battery swapping are stated below.

User benefits: Battery swapping can be done in under three minutes, faster compared with normal charging that takes hours, thereby makes the charging experience as convenient for the users as refueling at a petrol pump. It gives the option of

selling the vehicle independent of the battery and thereby reduce the cost of the EV by almost 30-50 percent.

This will reduce the upfront cost and increase adoption of EVs. The technology gives battery swapping operators (BSOs) more control of batteries, which will ensure maximum battery usage and proper disposal.

Such assurance from the energy operator will give confidence to the users to have a hassle-free ride.

DISCOM benefits: Battery swapping will increase revenue for DISCOMs by providing additional demand from reliable commercial end users.

Also, since battery charging can be flexible in terms of charging (which can be done during non-peak hours), this technology has the potential to balance the peak load of the grid.

Energy operator benefits: Scaling up battery swapping will ensure better utilization of the land as swapping requires a fraction of land needed otherwise for setting up a dedicated charging station. This will be an attractive option for urban areas where land is difficult to obtain and will also decrease the financial burden for the energy operators.

Battery Swapping will open up new business opportunities.

Fleet operator, SmartE, has battery swapping stations at Delhi-NCR and is working in partnership with Delhi Metro, Sun Mobility, Panasonic, Exicom and Amara Raja Batteries to operate swapping stations. Ola Electric has its own battery swapping unit at Gurugram for e-rickshaws.

The station has more than 15 batteryswapping units with 20 battery packs per unit powering 200+ e-rickshaws.

With all the merits attached to the concept of battery swapping, the government should consider operationalizing it as a part of the FAME II policy. As the government works towards creating enabling policies for EVs, we hope that the adoption of the battery swapping model is encouraged to accelerate the development of the EV ecosystem in India especially for small vehicle segments.

Courtesy: Autocar Professional [The information or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and are not necessarily represented or endorsed by ETN.] March-April 2020 |

68

BATTERY STORAGE

Global challenges and opportunities for Li-ion battery recycling As the number of used Li-ion batteries swells globally, most countries will have to establish supply chains for battery recycling and a sound regulatory framework to keep processes environmentally sustainable in the future writes Dr. Tanmay Sarkar, Senior Consultant R&D at Customized Energy Solutions.

T

he number of spent Lithiumion batteries (LIBs) are bound to increase with the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs).

Other than EVs, LIBs are increasingly being used in stationary storage applications such as back-up power for telecom sectors, data centers, renewable energy integrations, and other applications. Several reports have predicted that globally the number of spent LIBs will be around 2 million tons per year by 2030.

In general, LIBs are not as toxic as lead-acid or nickel-cadmium batteries, but LIBs have certain chemicals that must be prevented from being exposed to open atmosphere or being disposed in a landfill. As the use of LIB increase, the demand for its raw materials will also grow. Hence, recycling of LIB materials could have a positive impact from environmental and economic perspective.

Portable batteries used in consumer electronics and the power tools are currently the main source of LIBs for recycling industry. However, due to usage history, battery chemistry, and applications, the volume of endof-life (E-O-L) LIBs will have different distribution as compared to its nascent stage in the market.

Additionally, batteries that are at E-O-L may not automatically become available for recycling. There could be many reasons for this such as batteries are being stored and hoarded, sometimes batteries are disposed elsewhere but not recycled or they are reused for other applications. Even though there are enough of batteries, collection of these spent batteries is one of the biggest challenge for LIB recycling industry.

There are various challenges associated with EV battery recycling like difficulty in identifying battery chemistry,difficulty in estimating battery State of Health (SoH), lack of automated battery dismantling processes and others. Figure 1 shows the schematic of EV battery life cycle.

LIB recycling industry uses mechanical, hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical process.

Mechanical process involves dismantling of the battery and separation of different components.

Hydrometallurgical process includes leaching, precipitation, refining and other processes, and it takes place at a room temperature. Consumption of acid/alkaline solution is one of the major challenges associated in the current hydrometallurgical based recycling processes.

Pyrometallurgical process is easy to scale up and acid/alkalinefree process and it takes place at high temperature. High energy

Figure 1: EV battery life cycle

| March-April 2020

consumption and emission of gas are the major challenges for pyrometallurgical based recycling processes. Many of the todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recycling processes involve both hydro and pyrometallurgical processes along with physical separation (mechanical process).

Figure 2 shows the process flow involved in different modern-day LIB recycling processes.

Several LIB recycling companies exists globally. Among Asian countries, South Korea, Japan and China are leading in LIB recycling activities. Companies like Sungeel Hitech, South Korea's largest battery recycler and urban mining company and Anhua Taisen Recycling Technology Co, a leading China-based recycling firm, use hydrometallurgical process to extract critical battery elements. Whereas, company like Nippon Recycling Centre Corp, Japan uses pyrometallurgical recycling technology for extraction of nickel and cobalt. Many European

69

Figure 2: Different recycling processes. Green, blue and orange colour steps denote mechanical, hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical steps respectively.

countries are also involved in LIB recycling. Recycling company Accurec is based in Germany and it uses mechanical pre-treatment, pyro and hydrometallurgy to recover battery cathode materials, with over 60 percent efficiency. Belgium-based Umicore is a world-leader in urban mining and LIB recycling company using combined pyro-hydrometallurgy technology for cobalt and nickel extraction from LIB and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. In the US, California-based company Retriev Technologies is leading in recycling of batteries, including LIBs. In India, companies like, Attero Recycling, Tes-Amm India Pvt. Ltd., SungEEL HiMetal, Ecoreco and others are processing LIB and their recycling capacity in the range of 1000 - 5000 metric tonne per annum.

In commercial LIBs, graphite or lithium-titanium oxide (LTO) is used as anode, while lithium iron phosphate (LFP) lithium-nickelmanganese-cobalt oxide (NMC), Table 1 Table 1: Component

Compostion (%) Min

Max

Potential Commodity Recoverable Value Value (USD/ton) (USD/ton) Min Max

Al

4

24

1676

67

402

Co

5

20

27000

1350

5400

Cu

5

10

5530

277

553

Fe

5

25

46

2

12

Li

1

7

46573

466

3260

Mn

10

15

1694

169

254

Ni

5

15

12560

628

1884

2959

11765

Total

Globally, there are various rules and regulations present in many countries for E-O-L battery collection and recycling. In the US, as per the federal universal waste regulation of United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), battery is considered under one of the universal waste categories. There is no producer responsibility legislation in Canada.

Although, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba and Ontario have own regulations to recycle all types of primary and secondary batteries. The European Commission has legislated a

lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum oxide (NCA) and lithium-manganese oxide (LMO) is used as cathode. Aluminum and copper are used as cathode and anode current collector respectively which hold the electrode materials and also help in electron flow at outer circuit. With different recycling processes, each of elements, lithium, copper, aluminum, cobalt, nickel and manganese can be extracted in different forms. The degree of recovery of different elements vary with recycling process, chemical compositions of battery, and economy involved with the recycling process.

Table 1 summarises potential recoverable value (USD/ton) of different elements present in LIBs. To set up a LIB recycling facility in the range of 15,000-25,000 ton per year (feed rate), capital cost can vary 1000-3000 USD/ton depending on the elements (Li, Ni, Mn, Co ) that will be recovered with the degree of purity.

Globally, there are various rules and regulations present in many countries for E-O-L battery collection and recycling. In the US, as per the federal universal waste regulation of United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), battery is considered under one of the universal waste categories.

There is no producer responsibility legislation in Canada. Although, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba and Ontario have own regulations to recycle all types of primary and

secondary batteries. The European Commission has legislated a Battery Directive in 2006 which regulates collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of batteries and restricts mercury and cadmium content in batteries as well. In Japan, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules apply only for rechargeable batteries.

In India, with the growing presence of LIBs in the country, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is expected to release Battery Waste Management Rules 2020 in the near future. The rule will cover all type of batteries including LIBs unlike the older policy Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001 which covered only lead-acid batteries. Under the present draft policy, battery collection responsibility will go to the manufactures and the dealers whereas registered recyclers will be responsible for safe transport of the E-O-L batteries.

A proper regulatory framework for battery management can help in handling and segregation of different types of batteries and establish a supply chain for recycling industries culminating in an environmentally friendly recycling process.

March-April 2020 |

Dr. Tanmay Sarkar Senior Consultant R&D, Customized Energy Solutions

70

RD&D

Indian labs establish global competitiveness through indigenous technology The following is an excerpt from a podcast interview by Netra Walawalkar for Emerging Technology Radio, with Dr Bharat Kale, Director of Center for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), who spoke about the ongoing efforts of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier labs to build strong R&D centers and position itself as a manufacturing hub for advanced ES tech.

The Center for Materials for Electronics Technology is headquartered in Pune along with two more labs in Hyderabad and Thrissur. Could you tell us more about the R&D activities conducted at these labs?

C-MET is established under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY). The purpose of this center is to develop materials for electronics. Such laboratories did not exist earlier. Now Pune has undertaken work on high specialty chemicals, high purity metal accuracy semiconductors as well as polymers and special glasses. For example, we work on silicon tetrachloride which is the backbone for optical fiber cables.

These cables also require germanium tetrachloride and some epoxies, so we started working on that because earlier India was importing every requirement of optical fiber cables. Now, thanks

Dr Bharat Kale

to this activity there is an indigenous supply of optical fiber cables in India.

We also manufacture certain types of glass necessary for special electronics.

One of these objectives of our center is also to support strategic sectors like Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as well as the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS). They need highly specialized materials as well as electronic packaging which we manufacture in our laboratories since it falls under a classified internet protocol address (IP address).

The other sector we have in Pune is the solar cell facility. These particular solar cells are said to have an efficiency of 24 percent. Besides that, we are working on silicon quantum dot solar cells where theoretical efficiency is almost 66 percent. We expect at least 25-30 percent efficiency from silicon quantum dot solar cells. So, this is the research that we conduct at C-MET Pune.

With regards to the lithium-ion battery, we have all fabrication facilities as well as necessary materials: cathode materials, anode materials as well as the fabrication of single cells. Today, battery industry suppliers are importing single cells and packing them into packs with different capacities as per market requirements. That expertise is already available in the country.

However, we still do not have a singlecell fabrication strategy which we need.

Now, we are at the stage of making pilot skills in collaboration with the industry, like we do with Surya Power Electronics, which is our partner.

We have recently opened a Center of Excellence of Rechargeable Batteries which means we at least

| March-April 2020

have some materials necessary for battery fabrication, so we can fabricate batteries at some scale. We have almost `12 crore from the ministry and the rest of the money we expect from the industry so that the industry itself takes this forward. It is our responsibility to support the industry, so they can pick up lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

That way we will not depend on China and other countries.

The Center for Automation is another area of work where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re active. It is not viable for us to produce this technology in our laboratory. So recently, we transferred this technology of photo imageable photonic cells to a company and they will soon manufacture it for photosensors.

Requirement driven research is yet another aspect of our work. For example, the industry wanted silver powder or nanopowder and we developed the nanopowder for them.

Regarding the three chemistries you spoke about which C-MET is working on for Li-ion, is there any specific chemistry, for any application?

Battery chemistry today is standard: lithium cobalt oxide and graphite.

Suppose you need 3.2 to 3.7 electron gold batteries, then the chemistry needed is one cathode should be lithium cobalt oxide and the anode should be graphite or perhaps carbon. Other chemistries are lithium cobalt oxide for the cathode with lithium titanium oxide for the anode.

Here, we get a voltage of around 1.5 to 2 volts which is low but has better stability. This chemistry allows charging at a higher rate as compared to the graphite chemistry. At C-MET Pune, we experiment with different

71 chemistries such as Co-LCO as well as graphite-LCO. We have a lithium phosphate cathode and we have used biomass carbon instead of the graphite anode. You can produce a good quality carbon with the required porosity from biomass like banana and potatoes. We can also use the sodium-ion chemistry, since sodium is available in large quantities.

Sodium metal, too, is easily available and cheap.

Li-ion battery costs have reduced in a big way over the last 10 years.

As the demand increases and India enters the battery manufacturing space, do you believe costs will reduce further?

Definitely the cost will reduce a little, but not to the extent we expect today, which is half the present cost. A 20-30 percent decrease will be achieved, but only with huge production of batteries.

As you said, the successful commercialization of lab technologies requires industrial participation. How can industries collaborate with C-MET? There are two kinds of approaches to this. One, is that people think we will give them the technology for e-vehicle batteries. That is not the case since anyone can make batteries for 2W, 3W or 4W with the single cell. The technology we provide will be only

for manufacturing the single cell; and very few companies have the expertise and know-how for cell fabrication. It is a high-tech technology and only those who have it can survive. This is a very sensitive, material dependent technology. If something goes wrong in the material, you will not be able to produce good capacity batteries, or you may manufacture a faulty battery with an explosion problem. How are we helping out in this scenario? We are optimizing cathode material, which is the cathode material needed for an Indian condition. The Indian conditions are very important as these materials are highly sensitive. At certain places you may get very dry weather where it will work properly while in the rainy season, moisture gets absorbed in such materials, which again leads to problems. We have to take these conditions into account. We are optimizing cathode and anode to suit our Indian conditions.

So, as you see, technology transfer alone is not the solution. To achieve sustainable technology we have to educate and train the manpower.

The mobile, for example, has a huge demand. Today, the market for mobiles is 100 crore â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one hundred crore people are using mobiles. The mobile battery lasts for a year or year and a half. So every year there is a market for 100 crore batteries. These are huge markets that cannot be serviced

by a single company. Similarly, there would be a huge demand for e-vehicle batteries. There are almost 1.5 crore laptop users in the country as per a 2018 survey which means thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a requirement for an equal number of lithium-ion batteries. These batteries have a slightly higher capacity, 10-15,000 milliampere (mA). This demand exists and is increasing on a daily basis.

Are you suggesting that transfer of technology can take place with multiple companies?

Yes, exactly. Only multiple companies can satisfy todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demand or companies could specialize in a single type of battery manufacture.

This covers one aspect, the other is that a corresponding supply of chemicals in this quantity should be manufactured. If the demand in the market rises for e-vehicles, one would need almost 15,000 tons of cathode and 15,000 tons of anode material. This is the job of those operating in the chemical line. There are two separate aspects here the combination of chemical and electronics. The cathodes and anodes are very important and are highly specialized materials; they have to be produced in a very specialized manner and on a huge scale. In our C-MET facilities, we make up to 250 grams per batch. We demonstrate

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Subscribe to the podcast on a platform of your choice.

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podcast@ces-ltd.com

March-April 2020 |

72 in small amounts and pass the technology onto the industry and allow them to take over the production.

The other constraint is that we as a government organization are not permitted commercial transactions.

So, we have now adopted a scheme by which we connect each project with the industry so that we get a fruitful product from this effort.

What are the focus areas and general objectives of the Center of Excellence in Rechargeable Batteries?

So far there was limited demand for lithium-ion batteries in India.

Now with the demand increasing, we will have manufacturing in India for lithium-ion batteries. In order to support this manufacturing as well as the fabrication unit, we need some R&D support. If the machinery does not work as desired, manufacturers resort to importing machinery.

Therefore, we believe that we should have our indigenous machinery production in parallel and the industry itself will design the machines. That is the first goal.

The second one is to ensure a continuous flow of lithium cathode and anode, and we are here to ensure their purity and sustainable supply.

Another battery option is sodiumion batteries; in case this chemistry should enter the market in the future, we should be ready with our material.

So we are also optimizing sodium-ion battery materials and their fabrication.

That is one research project in CoE that we are running in parallel. The other is flexible batteries. Within two-to-five years, most of the electronic devices like mobiles and TVs will become flexible.

You can roll up your TV, put it into your car, drive out of town, unroll and set it up. That is the kind of technology that we can expect within four-to-five years.

Take the case of medical devices – all medical devices will become flexible to the patient. So, we have started research in flexible batteries and are seeing 10-20 percent success. We have to ensure not only their flexibility but also their stretchability. Since the battery will be stretchable we have to produce stretchable polymers and ionic conductive polymers. This is a work in progress, and four to five scientists are continuously working on this project.

IESA, in association with C-MET conducted India’s first hands-on workshop for lithium-ion cell fabrication in Pune on March 11 – 12, as a part of the skill development program. The program described the requirements of raw material, equipment and detailed manufacturing processes essential to set up giga factories and as well as advanced R&D capabilities. The workshop held presentations and lectures by global experts on cell manufacturing, chemistries and performance characteristics and on next-generation lithium-ion technologies. The highlight of the workshop was that participants learned the actual process of electrode preparation and battery fabrication.

Another research project is to replace the present organic electrolytes. Organic electrolyte restricts fast charging of batteries. In order to obtain a five-minute charging time, I need a solid glass, polymer or ceramic electrolyte. Different scientists are working on the three electrolyte options. All this falls under the CoE. In the future, many other chemistries like aluminum-air batteries will come into play. We have already started continuous research in this field as there are many problems with aluminum batteries that have to be solved. CoE is not restricted to just lithium-ion, but to all chemistries and technologies. We also want to make CoE self-sustainable after five years.

Our program now includes work on 3D printing batteries and service.

How does the recent workshop on cell fabrication jointly held by C-MET and IESA fit in with the skilldevelopment goals?

We conducted this conference as a part of CoE. The government approach is very simple: To promote a Make in India approach we help the industry in whatever way to develop a market-ready product.

When the flexible battery market opens up, definitely people will come to me for know-how and I have to be prepared. Any indigenously developed technology becomes the wealth of the country. Our motto is to have indigenous technology at least in batteries. From there we are slowly moving towards solar cells.

The key to sustainable production is to have trained people in companies.

So, part of our objective is to train people for material synthesis, as well as the fabrication of cells. This trained manpower will be immediately available to the manufacturer.

We have about 30-35 scientists working in Pune. The rest are PhD, MTech and MSc students making it a total strength of 110. We mostly utilize PhD students in our projects.

They will be the next generation of scientists and we have to train them properly.

What are other focus areas of CoE? To give you examples, if a company wishes to set up a plant for say two kilos of lithium cathode, we are there to guide and help them establish a manufacturing plant. If a cycle manufacturer needs a small battery, they are free to use our facilities and know-how to make this two-wheeler battery. C-MET helps with these kinds of startups.

Another new and upcoming concept is 3D printing which has so many applications in all sectors. Very soon we will have a CoE in 3D printing.

One can manufacture sensors through 3D printing and testing of a new prototype can be carried out within 24 hours. Cost wise the Netra Walawalkar is the imported printer sells Publisher of ETN, the at around `2 crore publication brought out by IESA. against `30-35 lakh ETR is the radio arm of the if we were to group’s media endeavors manufacture in India.

| March-April 2020

BOOK REVIEW

73

Powering tomorrow Seth Fletcher’s Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy, sounds heavy. Actually, it reads like a thriller and is a must read.

A

s the twenty-first century shifts to renewables, grappling to cut back environmental degradation and choking air pollution, enter COVID-19 to present a glimpse of a world freed of noxious emissions, of blue skies and clear water. The case for lithium as the carbon-free power option of the future couldn’t get any stronger: the key to an environmentally sustainable, oil-free future.

Bottled Lightning is timely. It outlines the significant role lithium could play in letting us harness the energies of the sun and wind, and use them as we need. Seth Fletcher

describes how the metal has become one of the most sought after resources, being as it is the most effective means currently known to store these energies. Lithium-ion batteries will surely be one of the greatest industries of the twenty-first century.

As a portable energy source, the electric battery has always been a tantalizing goal, more so for car builders. Bottled Lightning starts with the invention of the battery and follows up on the hundreds of chemicals that have been investigated as constituents, and then proceeds through the many failed attempts at the electric car. Now lithium, in a modern avatar, takes centerstage with electric promising to be the mobility of the future. The pace set

by Fletcher, as he follows the journey of lithium from its mining in some of the most uninhabitable places on earth to the labs of MIT and Stanford. The next big business opportunity and the race to capture it, comes close to a thriller.

Fletcher intersperses the travelogue style narrative with inputs from chemists, geologists, and automobile engineers; he captures the business deals as well as the intrigue in political spheres;

the environmental movement linked with the rise and fall of the electric vehicle and of course the well known struggle between firstworld countries in need of natural resources and the impoverished countries where those resources are found. Many narratives, all tied by the common thread of lithium.

Fletcher puts across an altogether engrossing and important story of a scarce resource, ubiquitous in the twenty-first century lifestyle which is completely dependent on its laptops, iPods, e-Readers and smart phones — all powered by lithium batteries.

He reveals the conspiracies to make electric cars untenable in the past, then goes on, towards the end of the book, to describe the successful roll-outs of the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S. Ending on a strong note, he observes that the US as a country has ceased to be the global industrial leader and has allowed the cleantech industries solar, wind, batteries, basic energy research among others - to be taken over by the Chinese. “We are not leaders, we are consumers,” he says, “and have failed to participate in what promises to be one of the greatest industries of this century.”

Bottled Lightning is a gripping insight into lithium, the future mode of energy storage that will probably power the industrial world's huge energy needs, and at the same time cut back on oil dependence and its polluting effects.

About the Author: Seth Fletcher is a senior editor at Popular Science magazine. His writing has also appeared in Men's Journal, Outside, Salon, and other publications.

He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

March-April 2020 |

74

RD&D

New Horizons in global battery R&D and investments Major countries around the world are framing energy storage regulations and investing in R&D to advance battery technology development, commercialization and manufacturing. Dr. Shrikant Nagpure, Asst.

Manager R&D at Customized Energy Solutions takes stock of the major government initiatives and scope of their efforts.

Dr. Shrikant Nagpure Asst. Manager R&D at Customized Energy Solutions

A

ll over the world energy storage is seen as a key enabler in harnessing the full potential of renewable energy sources and electrified transportation to reduce the environmental effects of fossil fuels.

Every nation realizes energy storage

as a vital element for its energy security and economic sustainability. Over the past couple of decades, government and private funds have been dedicated towards the development of efficient and economical batteries for energy storage systems. The research, in so far, has been mainly focused on lithium and Li-ion-based technologies due to its clear advantage in energy density over other battery chemistries.

The research on Li-ion and lithium batteries continue to garner interest mainly to improve the cost ($/kWh), the energy density (Wh/kg and Wh/l),

| March-April 2020

fast charging capability, safety of the technology, and recycling of used batteries.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at few battery R&D efforts underway around the globe: United States: In the US battery R&D efforts are led by the Department of Energy (DOE) programs.

Recently, the US announced the Energy Storage Grand Challenge investing $158 million. Through this initiative, the US seeks to advance its battery technology development, commercialization,

75 manufacturing, valuation, and workforce development. Last year, DOE launched its first Li-ion recycling R&D center, ReCell with $15 million funding. In FY 2018, the DOE’s battery R&D funding was approximately $101 million. The three major focus areas of DOE efforts are: • Exploratory Battery Materials Research: Focused on new materials for Li and beyond lithium chemistries.

• Applied Battery Research: Focused on mitigating the issues that impact the performance and life of cells with new battery materials.

• Advanced Battery Development, System Analysis, and Testing: Focused on meeting the goals for specific vehicle applications by the reduction in cost, increase in life and improved performance of battery cells and modules.

European Union: In Europe, major government initiatives are led by the Horizon 2020 funding under the European Union (EU). Under the Horizon 2020, in 2019, €114 million Image for representation purpose only

were made available to fund projects in seven topics related to battery development for various applications. The research and innovation activities are structured around three focus areas: • Battery material, chemistry, design, and recycling • Manufacturing • Application and integration The break-up of the funding is such that €25 million has been allotted for solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, €30 million for next-generation materials for Li-ion batteries, €13 million for cell and battery pack modeling and simulation R&D and €2 million for developing a network of cell manufacturing pilot lines.

Recently, seven EU member states - Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Finland, and Sweden –decided to contribute €3.2 billion for Li-ion battery research. The main areas of focus are to include the extraction and processing of raw materials, development of advanced chemistries, cell and module design, system integration and battery recycling.

United Kingdom: In the UK, the government has set up a new initiative, the Faraday Challenge and invested £246 million in research and innovation projects and construction of new facilities and institutes to scale-up and advance production, use and recycling of batteries. Under this program, an £80 million automotive battery industrialization center (UKBIC) has been set up to accelerate opportunities for the most promising early and mid-stage research (TRL = 3-5) and development activities to feed through into scale-up and commercial exploitation (TRL = 7-9).

South Korea: In South Korea, three major battery makers of the country, LG Chem, Samsung SDI, and SK Innovations have announced joint funding of $88.04

million to promote the development of the country’s rechargeable battery industry.

Australia: In Australia, the Australian Research Council (ARC) is supporting heavily in energy storage technology development.

ARC has contributed over $318 million for fundamental science research including eight projects related to solar and energy storage technology.

India: In India, efforts in the space of advanced battery technology is lacking in comparison to global R&D efforts. Although the Indian government has shown a very strong interest in promoting electric vehicles by offering considerable subsidies, clear guidelines regarding the expected performance targets from battery packs for vehicles have not yet been developed. Such targets, for example by US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), have driven the battery technology for vehicle electrification in the US. Due to the lack of a clear definition of expected performance metrics, the domestic R&D machinery is unable to set up their minimum and aspirational goals for developing battery technologies for India. The current technologies are unable to perform in Indian tropical conditions. India being a tropical country needs to develop battery technologies that can withstand temperatures above 45°C. Critical R&D investment is needed in developing manufacturing equipment, pilot plants to advance battery manufacturing technology and testing labs to evaluate the performance of the batteries. Apart from this, fundamental materials research is needed to develop materials for tropical conditions.

The Department of Science and Technology is expected to soon release funding opportunities to develop battery technology in India.

It remains to be seen if India will take this opportunity and become a technology developer or technology importer.

This article is an extract from the report 'State of EV battery technology R&D and manufacturing in India', prepared jointly by Customized Energy Solutions (CES) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

March-April 2020 |

76

POWER

Universal electrification in rural India – evolution and the way forward India’s electricity landscape has evolved remarkably in the last few decades. While the country has achieved ‘near-universal electrification’ a lot remains to be done to power the dream of ‘New India’ in a sustainable manner writes Dr. Debajit Palit, Senior Fellow & Director of Rural Energy & Livelihood Division in TERI.

T

he United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 calls for access to sustainable energy for all by the year 2030. On March 31 last year, India achieved nearuniversal electrification, a clear 10 years ahead, with only around 0.73 million “unwilling” households without electricity connection.

Around half a billion people were provided with connection in India during the last one decade. Given India’s geographical size, terrain, and socio-economic diversity, this could be considered a remarkable achievement.

In the pre-independence period, India’s electricity sector started with a heavy presence of the private sector, mostly concentrated in cities, towns and industrial areas. For rural areas, electricity was mainly used for powering irrigation pump

Dr. Debajit Palit Senior Fellow & Director Rural Energy and Livelihood Division in TERI

sets. The decentralized generation and supply, dominated by the private developers and princely states, was the primary model followed. However, just before India’s independence (1943-45), the blueprint for extending electricity to all parts of India was developed by Dr. B R Ambedkar as the Chairman of the Policy Committee on Public Works and Electric Power. He and his team studied the problems and opportunities for electricity development and pursued the provinces of then India, to impart a national perspective to electricity development. Immediately after the independence, lack of electricity in rural areas was taken up by the Indian Constituent Assembly and the Electricity (Supply) Act was passed in 1948, which paved the way for the formation of state-owned vertically integrated electric utilities in all the provinces.

Furthermore, the conduit of electricity in rural India was for ‘productive input’ in agro-based industries and for irrigation in the early period of the Five-Year Plans.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, however, rural electrification was largely considered as a tool for correcting regional inequalities, and household access for the first time started to gain priority. While villages were getting electrified, there were still a large number of habitations and households which remained un-electrified. However, the situation started to change after the passage of the Electricity Act in 2003. The Act, for the first time, obligated both the central and provincial governments to enable rural electrification. To speed up

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the rural electrification efforts as a ‘political goal’, the then government declared the objective of ‘Power for All by 2012’ followed by the launch of a large-scale electrification effort, the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) in 2005 to create village electricity infrastructure in all villages and provide free connections to all below poverty line households. Going beyond the practice of concessional financing by the federal government, RGGVY provided a mix of grant and concessional financing to the states and also moved away from the traditional execution model towards turnkey project execution (including involving the central sector power enterprises) for faster delivery as well as to insulate from other departmental implementation issues.

Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) was included to cover villages where extension of central grid was economically daunting. All these assisted to speed up electrification and more than 120,000 villages were connected to the national grid from 2005 to 2013. While villages were getting electrified, the percentage of electrified rural households was not increasing at the same pace. It went up from 43 percent to around 60 percent in March 2014.

Though the change in government in 2014 brought in stronger focus by also including agricultural feeder separation as part of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and electrification of the remaining extremely remote villages, the rate of household electrification continued to lag, with around 30 million households having no electricity connections in 2017.

77 The government thus launched the Saubhagya scheme to connect all un-electrified households by March 2019. Saubhagya was a well conceptualized, first-of-its-kind scheme, focusing exclusively on household electrification at such a large scale and had some important features worth noting.

Saubhagya: connecting the unconnected in India

First, it expanded subsidies for electrification to include not only below poverty line households, but also other households who were identified using 2011 SocioEconomic and Caste Census (SECC) data and provided free connections to households having at least one â&#x20AC;&#x153;deprivationâ&#x20AC;? (out of the seven identified under SECC). Second, households who were not eligible for subsidy per SECC data were also connected but with the condition that they pay a nominal amount of `500 ($ 6.5) to the electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in 10 on-bill installments. Third, Saubhagya made a provision of solar home systems of 200-300Wp capacity for the households in extremely remote areas. Although, most of the earlier programs had provisions for solar home systems, these were limited to meeting basic lighting needs only.

3

2 1 & 2 View of a typical electricity distribution network in the rural areas of Uttar Pradesh 3 A mini grid network in Village Mohda, Chattisgarh 4 A 10 kWp solar power plant in village Rawan, Chattisgarh implemented under DDUGJY.

1

24x7-sustainable power supply: the challenges ahead

Of the three primary steps of rural electrification, the first two â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one, the extension of village electricity infrastructure and two, connections to all households were achieved by March 2019. However, the third and most important step towards providing reliable, affordable and quality

supply and responsive services to all customers and at the same time generating adequate revenue for the electric utility as well as reducing government subsidy outflow is still at a distance. The supply-side challenges that have persisted for a long time have been resolved to a large extent, and new capacities, especially based on grid-integrated renewable energy sources including solar rooftops and

4 March-April 2020 |

78 solar feeders for agriculture use, are being added to the system, with a national goal of having 40 percent of cumulative electric power capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2030. While Solar Energy Corporation of India is focusing on large-scale solar PV coupled with energy storage projects, there is also need for the development of local manufacturing and large-scale promotion of new technology for affordable storage at the distribution level to improve power quality, reliability, and peak-shaving applications.

The task for providing electricity supply round-the-clock primarily falls on electric utilities that are mostly state-run. They not only have to ensure that they produce/buy and supply electricity but do so in the most sustainable and efficient manner possible and also recover revenues.

The reliability of electricity in the evening peak hours in rural areas still remains poor in many states.

The metering, billing and collection and network maintenance services are also not up to the mark. Most villagers have to resort to multiple coping strategies to meet their home lighting needs. This set of accessgap consumers are the potential

users of DRE solutions. Whether electricity is from the grid or from DRE systems, it does not matter to them.

What matters is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it should be readily available when required the most and must be reliable and affordable.

What is also required is to considerably improve the operational efficiency of the DISCOMs by undertaking a change management programs as well as strengthening the electric sub-stations and subtransmission network. While the accrued debt of the DISCOMs has been reduced under the UDAY program and many DISCOMs are increasingly using IT-based systems for robust monitoring and implementing smart pre-paid meters for revenue sustainability, change management programs will help to develop the needed working culture.

In addition to the feeder meters and household level smart meters being installed for energy accounting, the government may also consider putting up a network health monitoring system and equipment to measure electricity supply interruptions, voltage drop and power factor at the 11 kV rural feeders as well as LT distribution network for real-time data recording and feeding to a central station at the state level to

strengthen the outage management system and feed-forward mechanism.

At the same time, electricity must be priced rationally so that DISCOMs find it viable to serve.

For efficient management of local power distribution, the distribution franchisee system could be restarted, once change management programs are initiated. The franchise system was operational in many states during the late 2000s and produced positive results towards revenue sustainability, but was discontinued. This can be done by engaging local franchiseentrepreneurs, including mini-grid operators (acting as independent electricity service providers, using their own generation and balance procuring at a wholesale price from DISCOMs, and then selling electricity at a weighted price.

However, this may require some changes in the current regulation.

While developments in the sector are positive, what is needed to build a New India is to ensure that the remaining challenges are prioritized to achieve 24x7 power for all in a sustainable manner by 2022, the 75th year of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Independence.

Dr. Debajit Palit holds a Master's degree in Physics and a PhD in Energy Policy. Views and opinions expressed in the article are personal and belong solely to the author.

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| March-April 2020

EVENT REPORT

79

ISUW 2020 completes sixth edition ISGF’s flagship annual event, the India Smart Utility Week (ISUW), an international conference and exhibition on smart energy and smart mobility for smart cities concluded on March 7, 2020 in New Delhi.

I

SUW 2020 kickstarted on March 3, with 1,570 participants from 23 countries. The two key themes for this year were, ‘Towards a Net Zero Energy Power Sector’ and ‘Towards a Carbon Neutral Transport Sector ’. The event had many interesting activities beginning with 13 thematic sessions, four special plenaries, five bi-lateral workshops, seven parallel events, four tracks of master classes, and two technical tours. A total of 269 eminent experts addressed the gathering of 1500 plus participants at the event.

ISUW 2020 was inaugurated by Sanjeev Nandan Sahai, Secretary - Ministry of Power, Government of India (GoI). Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh delivered a special address at the special plenary session on ‘Regulations Enabling Energy Transition’ along with P K Pujari, Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), India; Neil Chatterjee, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), USA; Barry Gardiner, MoP for Brent North,

House of Commons, London and Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade and Climate Change; and Eija-Riitta Korhola, Former MP, European Parliament.

The event saw the launch of Sweden- Sanjeev Nandan Sahai, Secretary-MoP, GoI, India Joint Call on inaugurating ISUW 2020 Smart Grids, European Union - India Joint Call on Integrated Perspectives on Energy Transition Local Energy Systems and SEW and Smart Grids, Interconnection Innovation Fund. of Regional Grids in Asia: SAARC Grid - GCC Grid - ASEAN Grid, Four special plenary sessions optimizing electricity grids by were conducted at the event, on the district energy system integration, themes of: and IEC – IEEE World smart (i) Regulations Enabling Energy energy standardization coordination Transition, workshop. (ii) Power Systems Security in the Full-day sessions on City Gas Era of Cyber Wars, Distribution and Water Distribution (iii) Women in Energy and Energy were also held. In addition to Transition and these workshops and sessions, (iv) Future Skills for the Jobs in five bilateral smart grid workshops 2030s were held with USA, European Commission, Sweden, France Parallel workshops on variety of and Switzerland to facilitate joint topics were organised such Global research, project partnerships and collaborations, experience sharing and knowledge dissemination.

As part of the event, an exhibition was also organised to showcase latest technology and projects on various domains of smart grid from India and around the world. Over 31 exhibitors, displayed their work at the event. EU brought 15 successful smart grid projects executed in Europe that are relevant to India as a part of the ‘European Pavilion at ISUW 2020’.

The 4th edition of ISGF Innovation Awards Ceremony recognized and promoted some of the outstanding innovations by Utilities, technology (L to R) Reji Kumar Pillai, President-ISGF; Neil Chatterjee, Chairman-FERC; providers, and startups. A total of P K Pujari, Chairman-CERC; Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister for P&NRE; 27 winners were felicitated at the Barry Gardiner, MoP for House of Commons, London; & Eija-Riitta Korhola, Former MP-European Parliament awards ceremony.

March-April 2020 |

80

EVENT REPORT

India’s first hands-on Li-ion cell fabrication workshop successfully concludes in Pune In its endeavor to promote Li-ion cell manufacturing in India and work towards building domestic capacity in advanced cell manufacturing, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) along with the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) successfully concluded India’s firstever hands-on Li-ion fabrication workshop in Pune on March 11-12, 2020.

T

he first-of-its-kind two-day workshop was designed

by IESA experts along with C-MET researchers to develop industry understanding of the Li-ion cell manufacturing process.

The participants, which included, several battery systems providers and manufacturers in India learned about raw materials and equipment required and detailed process of Li-ion cell manufacturing through a mix of hands-on lab training and expert presentations and lectures.

Day 1 of the workshop opened with the inaugural remarks by Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA and President & MD of Customized Energy Solutions India, along with Dr. Bharat Kale, Director of C-MET, Pune. Dr. Walawalkar and Dr. Kale welcomed the participants that included eminent battery system providers, automotive research and Li-ion battery pack manufacturing companies in India, namely, Tata Auto Comp, Soft Bank Energy, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Amara Raja, Lucas TVS and Exicom.

Addressing the participants at the workshop, Dr. Walawalkar stressed on the urgent need to take up R&D

Dr. Milind Kulkarni, Scientist at C-MET with the workshop participants at C-MET lab in Pune.

and advanced cell manufacturing by the Indian industries to reduce reliance on other countries.

Dr. Walawalkar added that energy storage and EVs have importance for national energy security, and given the recent pandemic of COVID-19, now, more than ever was the need to accelerate our efforts for building domestic capabilities.

Post the inaugural talk, Dr. Satyajit Phadke, Manager R&D at Customized Energy Solutions (CES) opened the sessions by giving an overview of lithium-ion batteries. Dr. Phadke discussed existing Li-ion chemistries and relevant parameters such as energy density, power density, etc.

He traced the performance evolution of Li-ion battery technologies in terms of their gravimetric and volumetric energy density and cycle life.

Dr. Shrikant Nagpure, Assistant Manager R&D at Customized Energy Solutions gave an overview of the Li-ion batteries manufacturing process – the main theme of the workshop. The manufacturing process was covered in two sessions – part 1, covered different processes involved in manufacturing batteries and the equipment required for those processes. Dr. Nagpure gave a detailed description of each step of the manufacturing process and discussed the process of cell design, critical parameters therein and how that process affects battery performance and life and battery failure. In the part 2 of the session, he discussed the things to consider when companies decide scale up to GWh factories.

Dr. Tanmay Sarkar, Senior Consultant R&D at Customized Energy Solutions gave an overview

| March-April 2020

of the supply chain of Li-ion cell manufacturing. He discussed the materials needed in Li-ion manufacturing, global reserves of raw materials, and present market conditions in India along with the price breakdown of those materials. He gave examples of companies making the raw materials used in the manufacturing process as well.

Day one of the workshop ended on a high note with participants visiting the C-MET facility where they toured the lab and learned the process of cell fabrication. IESA experts and C-MET researchers demonstrated the process of making Li-ion cells, following which each participant got the opportunity to make their own respective cells under expert guidance. These cells were subjected to the formation cycling 1st and most crucial slow charging process post fabrication. During the second day of the workshop, the participants were given the fabricated cells for performance validation. By combining hands-on work with detailed lectures, the participants were able to appreciate the intricacies underlying the process of cell fabrication.

Day 2 of the workshop was led by Dr. Phadke, beginning with the hands-on cell testing session. He

Dr. Satyajit Phadke, Manager R&D at Customized Energy Solutions (CES) in discussion with workshop participants.

81

Dr. Milind Kulkarni, giving participants a tour of C-MET facility and various equipment in the labs.

covered performance tests and safety tests that are done in batteries, followed by a visit to the IESA testing lab. At the lab, participants got to the opportunity to build the program for cell testing and start the actual test. In parallel, during the classroom sessions the participants were trained to do an analysis of actual cell testing data collected during the testing process. Calvin Raj, Junior Analyst at Customized Energy Solutions demonstrated the equipment to the participants and the process of conducting tests.

Harsh Thacker, Director and Senior Analyst at Customized Energy Solutions presented India market

opportunities for energy storage devices and gave an overview of the energy storage landscape in the country before concluding the final day of the workshop.

The two-day workshop culminated with certificate distribution to the participants by Dr. Walawalkar and Dr. Kale.

Speaking after the successful completion of the two-day workshop, Dr. Kale opined that, “It is our responsibility to support the industry so that India can pick up Li-ion manufacturing instead of depending on other countries.”

India’s first workshop held by IESA along with C-MET is a step towards it, he added.

Dr. Kale expressed gratitude towards the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for creating such a facility and for advancing Li-ion fabrication initiative at C-MET Pune.

Speaking of her experience at the two-day workshop G Devi, Senior Engineer at Amara Raja Batteries Ltd lauded IESA and C-MET for organizing an informative and timely program.

“I have learned about the various critical parameters to be noted in deploying a Li-ion battery manufacturing plant,” Devi said.

“I recommend this workshop not only to the battery manufacturers but also to people who are interested in the Li-ion battery cell fabrication.”

Mahesh Padmanabh, EV/HEV Engineer at ARAI, another participant at the workshop added, “People in the automotive market do not have the necessary skill set to be entering the EV & battery market and IESA has done a great job, as this workshop has been helpful not only from the market point of view but from the point of the actual fabrication and analysis of lithium-ion cells.”

After the successful completion and the tremendous response received from the industry, IESA is in the process of finalizing the schedule for the next workshop which will most likely be held in the month of May. We welcome anyone and everyone interested in learning to attend the workshop, irrespective of their background and experience. If interested, please check details of the next event on the IESA website.

The team IESA and C-MET researchers pose with workshop participants after the lab visit.

March-April 2020 |

82

COMPANY & ADVERTISER INDEX / IMPRINT

Accurec

69

Lucas TVS

Amara Raja

80

Amara Raja Group

34

Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) 81

Anhua Taisen Recycling Technology Co

69

MNRE

Attero Recycling

69

National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC)

50

Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) 50,80

Nippon Recycling Centre Corp

69

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd

50

Okaya Power

Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS)

70

Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Ltd (REIL)

Center for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) 70 CII 34 Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) 70

80

25, 34

16, 33 50

RBI 34 Retriev Technologies SECI

69 14, 34

Soft Bank Energy

80

Ecoreco 69

Sterling & Wilson

33

Electrification of Rural India

SungEEL HiMetal

69

Exicom 80

Sungeel Hitech

69

Fortum 62

Tata Auto Comp

80

Greenfuel Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd

Tes-Amm India Pvt Ltd

69

Hyundai 51

Trontek Group Pvt Ltd

34

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)

70

Umicore 69

Book Review 73 Bry Air (Asia) Pvt Ltd 23 CES - 10 years 10-11 CES Podcast 69, 77 Delta 19 EARTHDAY NETWORK 8 ETN-Subscription Form 53

IESA 83 IESA Advantage 6 IESA-Market Overview Report 49, 57 IESW 2-3 Okaya 84 Rang De 39 Storage IQ - INDIA 13

76

35

IESA

India Energy Storage Alliance

Chief Editor and General Manager Publications: Ashok Thakur Consulting Editor: Nishtha Gupta-Vaghela Assistant Editor: Shraddha Kakade

Printed and Published by Netra Rahul Walawalkar on behalf of Customized Energy Solutions India Private Limited. Printed at Unique Offset, Plot No. 1523, Anand Shilpa, Sadashiv Peth, Pune, Maharashtra, 411030, India and Published at Office No. 501, Fifth Floor, S. No. 249/50, G-O square building, Kaspatewasti, Wakad, Pune - 411 057.

Editor: Ashok Umeshchand Thakur

Contributing Editor: Kathy Priyo Contributing Editor: PK Chatterjee (PK) Corporate Communications: Swati Gantellu Design Consultant: SP Snehal President – IESA & MD, CES India: Dr Rahul Walawalkar Executive Director IESA: Debi Prasad Dash

***Any views, comments expressed are the sole responsibility of the respective authors, Emerging Technology News and Customized Energy Solutions (CES) and their co-operation partners do not undertake any responsibility, implied or otherwise. Any actions, legal or otherwise, OR causing any form of harm (physical or otherwise) made by permanent, temporary and honorary staff will be their sole responsibility!

Disclaimer: Every effort has been taken to avoid errors or omissions in this magazine. In spite of this, errors may creep in. Any mistake, error or discrepancy noted may be brought to our notice immediately. It is notified that neither the publisher nor the editor will be responsible in respect of anything and the consequence of anything done or omitted to be done by any person in reliance upon the content herein. This disclaimer applies to all.© All rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Pune, Maharashtra only. While care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising copy, it is not possible to verify its contents. CES cannot be held responsible for such contents.

| March-April 2020

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