A transition towards a decarbonized and sustainable energy future will incorporate renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. The intermittency of these renewable sources creates a substantial mismatch between energy produced and required. Energy storage plays an important role in balancing supply and demand and helps to create a more flexible and reliable electricity grid. If we want to source 100% of our electrical energy from renewables by 2050, significant investment in energy storage is necessary.
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is a rapidly developing and the future energy storage solution, the cost of Li-ion battery has seen a steady decline over the past years, this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable time. A 78% reduction in the cost of Li-ion battery pack over the 2015 cost is expected by 2030. Consumers, in India particularly, are highly cost-sensitive. With the increasing affordability solar plus energy storage becomes a viable investment option while at the same time providing a certain degree of energy security and independence for the consumer.
This report focuses on the financial feasibility of investing in solar plus energy storage (lithium-ion) on the consumer side of the service connection (behind-the-meter) for selected LT consumer categories in Tamil Nadu.
1.Overview of Renewable Energy Sector and Programs in Malaysia.
2.The mechanism of NEM using solar PV.
3.Benefits of implementing it for residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
4.Barriers that impede successful implementation of solar PV and NEM in Malaysia.
5.Strategies or plans that have been implemented by the Malaysian government to encourage the use of NEM.
6.Recommended additional necessary measures that should be implemented by the government to boost the success of the energy efficiency policy using solar power in Malaysia.
Recent IEA analyses on behind-the-meter energy system trendsLeonardo ENERGY
This webinar will present recent IEA analyses on “behind-the-meter” energy sector trends, including:
* why energy efficiency progress has been slowing,
* how increasing flexible load can help decarbonise the energy system, and
* mid-term projections for the growth in distributed solar PV.
The presentation will involve analysts from the IEA’s Energy Efficiency, Renewables and World Energy Outlook teams who will present findings from three of the agency’s flagship reports and answer questions from participants.
1.Overview of Renewable Energy Sector and Programs in Malaysia.
2.The mechanism of NEM using solar PV.
3.Benefits of implementing it for residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
4.Barriers that impede successful implementation of solar PV and NEM in Malaysia.
5.Strategies or plans that have been implemented by the Malaysian government to encourage the use of NEM.
6.Recommended additional necessary measures that should be implemented by the government to boost the success of the energy efficiency policy using solar power in Malaysia.
Recent IEA analyses on behind-the-meter energy system trendsLeonardo ENERGY
This webinar will present recent IEA analyses on “behind-the-meter” energy sector trends, including:
* why energy efficiency progress has been slowing,
* how increasing flexible load can help decarbonise the energy system, and
* mid-term projections for the growth in distributed solar PV.
The presentation will involve analysts from the IEA’s Energy Efficiency, Renewables and World Energy Outlook teams who will present findings from three of the agency’s flagship reports and answer questions from participants.
From EU Project to Market Enabler: Creating the Marketplace for Sustainable E...Leonardo ENERGY
Developed under SEAF H2020 (Sustainable Energy Asset Framework), a European Commission funded project led by Joule Assets Europe that ran from 2016 to 2018, eQuad is a holistic online platform and set of services created to bridge the gap between Sustainable Energy Asset (SEA) projects and financiers, catalysing market growth in Europe. Since its commercial launch in May 2018, over €160 million of SEA projects from 5 countries have been submitted to eQuad. Joule has now gone through multiple cycles of processing projects and matching them to investors.
This webinar will therefore challenge Joule’s original hypothesis of the “finance gap” against real market experience post launch of the eQuad platform.
Course on Regulation and Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - Session 10Leonardo ENERGY
Session 10 will focus on how actual energy efficiency improvements can be achieved in organisations of different sizes. The presentation will start with a discussion of the status of energy efficiency in major developing countries. A variety of tools for working towards higher energy efficiency will be discussed, including benchmarking, energy audits, process analysis, and energy management schemes.
Kornelis Blok (1956) studied experimental physics at Utrecht University and received a Ph.D. degree in 1991 on a thesis ‘On the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions’. In 1984 he was one of the founders of Ecofys, where he is now Director of Science. Dr. Blok has extensive research and consultancy experience in the field of energy efficiency improvement and clean energy production. He played an important role in the development of European energy policies and international climate policies and has worked in many countries around the globe. He is also with Utrecht University, where he holds a professorship in Sustainable Energy. He is supervising the master programme Energy Science. He authored and co-authored 90 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, several books and over 200 research reports, conference contributions and other scientific publications. He was a lead author for the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the institution that was award the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. With his company he won the Erasmus award for the most innovative company of the Netherlands in 2008.
Electrification in the energy transition: towards net-zero emissions by 2050Leonardo ENERGY
The European Green Deal envisions a carbon neutral Europe by 2050. Electrification is a powerful tool that can help catapult Europe’s energy transition forward. Accelerated changes are needed in the power, buildings and transport sectors, but they will fail to emerge without robust policies closely aligned with the decarbonisation goal.
In this webinar, Wouter Nijs of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and David Farnsworth of RAP delve into the role that electrification plays in different scenarios for meeting Europe’s climate goals.
Lessons from renewable energy laws - how do countries legislate to support re...Leonardo ENERGY
With the increasing globalisation of the market for renewable energy technologies, it might be expected that this would also lead to national renewable energy laws becoming more similar. Yet, outside of the European Union this has not happened. Drawing from her study of every country in the world’s renewable energy laws, Associate Professor Crossley will explore how countries compete to attract investment via their legislation to support renewables to meet the needs of their domestic consumers and indigenous renewable energy sources. From the support of peat in Sweden, to local content clauses in China, and the impact of the bushfires in Australia, this webinar will examine the competing market drivers impacting the energy transition around the world.
Course on Regulation and Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - Session 7Leonardo ENERGY
It is recognized that Energy Efficiency shall be the major component of any energy policy.
Session 7 introduces the institutional framework needed to implement energy efficiency (energy agency, utility Demand Side Management, other) notably by presenting the example of Tunisia.
It deals with the way to fund energy efficiency programmes via tax and social levies or carbon finance. This session gives an overview of white certificates schemes notably with the examples of India and Uruguay, and introduces different support energy efficiency schemes (grants, tax incentives, soft loan,other).
Electric motors
Editorial - Policy solutions - Facts - Interview - Success stories - Improving market surveillance - Extended product approach - Motor maintenance and refurbishment - Accelerated replacement of less efficient motor stock - Developing powertrains for electric mobility free of critical raw materials - World landscape
The goal of DecarbEurope is to engage decision-makers in policy and industry with solutions that can, in a cost-effective manner, decarbonise Europe at the scale and speed that is needed to achieve our climate goals.
As an ecosystem of twenty sectors — and growing — the initiative connects technologies, policies, and markets. Partners of DecarbEurope commit themselves to common values of deep decarbonisation, cost-effectiveness, circularity, sector-coupling and consumer engagement.
Electric motors play a major role in all economic sectors (industrial, tertiary, residential, agricultural and in transportation), to deliver in a reliable and efficient way mechanical power to a huge variety of processes and services
Flexibility needs at system level and how RD&I projects are leveraging these ...Leonardo ENERGY
Recording at https://youtu.be/cd5bRnSM0zI
The presentation provides an introduction to flexibility solutions, which can be used to increase efficiency in power systems. The solutions considered for the webinar are network level solutions. This introduction is followed by the presentation of FlexPlan and CoordiNet as examples of RD&I projects where flexibility solutions are being developed to change the power system landscape.
September 2019 edition of the DecarbEurope primer on electric vehicles, reviewing some of the major issues to address in the coming years:
* low-emission zones
* right-to-plug
* 150 kW network
The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative Prod...Leonardo ENERGY
The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative Product Efficiency Call to Action, by Melanie Slade - IEA and Nicholas Jeffrey - UK BEIS
Smart charging puts the pedal to the metal on e-mobilityLeonardo ENERGY
Smart charging represents the intersection where decarbonising power and electrifying transport meet. It creates a crucial building block for a sustainable energy system to power electric cars through solar and wind energy. Encouraging consumers to shift electric vehicle charging to hours when the power system is not under stress generates benefits for the grid, the environment and all electricity customers.
Webinar recording at https://youtu.be/Ph9AW2PEgBg
This webinar addresses the key drivers of the PV market and industry in the coming years based on the Trends 2019. Gaëtan Masson, Operating Agent of IEA PVPS Task 1, will look at the past developments and future scenarios, from a global market development point of view to some key price evolution features. From social aspects of PV, collective and decentralised self-consumption policies to floating PV, this webinar will browse the global landscape of PV development. Izumi Kaizuka, deputy chair of the IEA PVPS Task 1, will present the trends of the PV Industry. The production of polysilicon, ingots, wafers, PV cells and modules have been growing with the growth of the PV market. The gap between manufacturing capacity of PV module and the demand contributed to the recent price reduction thus resulted in lower LCOE of PV power. Across the value chain, the PV upstream sector makes efforts to improve efficiency, output and reliability. Further progress of cost reduction is expected. In the downstream sector, players are also applying various methods to reduce LCOE.
2021 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE: FEASIBILITY OF BEHIND-THE-METER SYSTEMS FOR H...AurovilleConsulting
Unreliable grid supply drives consumers towards deploying power back-up solutions such as uninterrupted power systems and diesel generators. Solar plus energy storage becomes an increasingly attractive alternative as it can provide a degree of energy security and independence to the consumer. It is cheaper, quieter, takes up less space, avoids emissions and has a shorter response time compared to diesel generators.
In 2019-20 India imported batteries worth USD 1.2 billion making this sector heavily dependent on foreign manufacturing capacities. To reduce the dependence on imports and develop the local market, Niti Aayog, a Government of India think tank proposed setting up Giga capacity battery factories aggregating a capacity of 50 GWh over the next ten years at a projected cost of USD 5 billion. The Indian Government has proposed to offer subsidies to the tune of INR 700 Crore a year and also provide incentives such as the benefit of entire depreciation in one go and zero import duty on lithium, iron and cobalt to battery manufacturing industries.
Consumers, in India particularly, are highly cost sensitive. The recent decrease in the cost of both solar PV and Li-ion battery storage and an increasing commitment by a larger share of the population to shift towards sustainable solutions is expected to result in an increased uptake of BtM solar and energy storage systems.
This report compares the cost of supply from the grid, partial supply from solar and partial supply from solar plus energy storage (lithium-ion) on the consumer side of the service connection (behind-the-meter) for selected HT consumer types in Tamil Nadu.
LEVELISED COST OF BTM STORAGE IN INDIA 2021 – A STATUS REPORTAurovilleConsulting
This status report aims to present a snapshot of the current cost of energy storage in India for behind-the-meter (BtM) applications, and project them over the next 10 years to analyse when energy storage will start seeing significant adoption. Based on a detailed cost model for solar PV and energy storage with 50+ parameters & data on battery energy storage systems (BESS) gathered from several vendors in India, we evaluate the levelized cost of solar plus energy storage and standalone energy storage.
Even though as of today, BtM energy storage is not feasible in a lot of cases, we find that this will change fast this decade. By 2025, it will be possible for non-residential consumers to integrate large amounts of battery storage to generate and consume their own energy, enabling a distributed energy future. Along with it, the utilities face an inevitable transition from their traditional roles to distribution system operators.
From EU Project to Market Enabler: Creating the Marketplace for Sustainable E...Leonardo ENERGY
Developed under SEAF H2020 (Sustainable Energy Asset Framework), a European Commission funded project led by Joule Assets Europe that ran from 2016 to 2018, eQuad is a holistic online platform and set of services created to bridge the gap between Sustainable Energy Asset (SEA) projects and financiers, catalysing market growth in Europe. Since its commercial launch in May 2018, over €160 million of SEA projects from 5 countries have been submitted to eQuad. Joule has now gone through multiple cycles of processing projects and matching them to investors.
This webinar will therefore challenge Joule’s original hypothesis of the “finance gap” against real market experience post launch of the eQuad platform.
Course on Regulation and Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - Session 10Leonardo ENERGY
Session 10 will focus on how actual energy efficiency improvements can be achieved in organisations of different sizes. The presentation will start with a discussion of the status of energy efficiency in major developing countries. A variety of tools for working towards higher energy efficiency will be discussed, including benchmarking, energy audits, process analysis, and energy management schemes.
Kornelis Blok (1956) studied experimental physics at Utrecht University and received a Ph.D. degree in 1991 on a thesis ‘On the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions’. In 1984 he was one of the founders of Ecofys, where he is now Director of Science. Dr. Blok has extensive research and consultancy experience in the field of energy efficiency improvement and clean energy production. He played an important role in the development of European energy policies and international climate policies and has worked in many countries around the globe. He is also with Utrecht University, where he holds a professorship in Sustainable Energy. He is supervising the master programme Energy Science. He authored and co-authored 90 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, several books and over 200 research reports, conference contributions and other scientific publications. He was a lead author for the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the institution that was award the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. With his company he won the Erasmus award for the most innovative company of the Netherlands in 2008.
Electrification in the energy transition: towards net-zero emissions by 2050Leonardo ENERGY
The European Green Deal envisions a carbon neutral Europe by 2050. Electrification is a powerful tool that can help catapult Europe’s energy transition forward. Accelerated changes are needed in the power, buildings and transport sectors, but they will fail to emerge without robust policies closely aligned with the decarbonisation goal.
In this webinar, Wouter Nijs of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and David Farnsworth of RAP delve into the role that electrification plays in different scenarios for meeting Europe’s climate goals.
Lessons from renewable energy laws - how do countries legislate to support re...Leonardo ENERGY
With the increasing globalisation of the market for renewable energy technologies, it might be expected that this would also lead to national renewable energy laws becoming more similar. Yet, outside of the European Union this has not happened. Drawing from her study of every country in the world’s renewable energy laws, Associate Professor Crossley will explore how countries compete to attract investment via their legislation to support renewables to meet the needs of their domestic consumers and indigenous renewable energy sources. From the support of peat in Sweden, to local content clauses in China, and the impact of the bushfires in Australia, this webinar will examine the competing market drivers impacting the energy transition around the world.
Course on Regulation and Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries - Session 7Leonardo ENERGY
It is recognized that Energy Efficiency shall be the major component of any energy policy.
Session 7 introduces the institutional framework needed to implement energy efficiency (energy agency, utility Demand Side Management, other) notably by presenting the example of Tunisia.
It deals with the way to fund energy efficiency programmes via tax and social levies or carbon finance. This session gives an overview of white certificates schemes notably with the examples of India and Uruguay, and introduces different support energy efficiency schemes (grants, tax incentives, soft loan,other).
Electric motors
Editorial - Policy solutions - Facts - Interview - Success stories - Improving market surveillance - Extended product approach - Motor maintenance and refurbishment - Accelerated replacement of less efficient motor stock - Developing powertrains for electric mobility free of critical raw materials - World landscape
The goal of DecarbEurope is to engage decision-makers in policy and industry with solutions that can, in a cost-effective manner, decarbonise Europe at the scale and speed that is needed to achieve our climate goals.
As an ecosystem of twenty sectors — and growing — the initiative connects technologies, policies, and markets. Partners of DecarbEurope commit themselves to common values of deep decarbonisation, cost-effectiveness, circularity, sector-coupling and consumer engagement.
Electric motors play a major role in all economic sectors (industrial, tertiary, residential, agricultural and in transportation), to deliver in a reliable and efficient way mechanical power to a huge variety of processes and services
Flexibility needs at system level and how RD&I projects are leveraging these ...Leonardo ENERGY
Recording at https://youtu.be/cd5bRnSM0zI
The presentation provides an introduction to flexibility solutions, which can be used to increase efficiency in power systems. The solutions considered for the webinar are network level solutions. This introduction is followed by the presentation of FlexPlan and CoordiNet as examples of RD&I projects where flexibility solutions are being developed to change the power system landscape.
September 2019 edition of the DecarbEurope primer on electric vehicles, reviewing some of the major issues to address in the coming years:
* low-emission zones
* right-to-plug
* 150 kW network
The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative Prod...Leonardo ENERGY
The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative Product Efficiency Call to Action, by Melanie Slade - IEA and Nicholas Jeffrey - UK BEIS
Smart charging puts the pedal to the metal on e-mobilityLeonardo ENERGY
Smart charging represents the intersection where decarbonising power and electrifying transport meet. It creates a crucial building block for a sustainable energy system to power electric cars through solar and wind energy. Encouraging consumers to shift electric vehicle charging to hours when the power system is not under stress generates benefits for the grid, the environment and all electricity customers.
Webinar recording at https://youtu.be/Ph9AW2PEgBg
This webinar addresses the key drivers of the PV market and industry in the coming years based on the Trends 2019. Gaëtan Masson, Operating Agent of IEA PVPS Task 1, will look at the past developments and future scenarios, from a global market development point of view to some key price evolution features. From social aspects of PV, collective and decentralised self-consumption policies to floating PV, this webinar will browse the global landscape of PV development. Izumi Kaizuka, deputy chair of the IEA PVPS Task 1, will present the trends of the PV Industry. The production of polysilicon, ingots, wafers, PV cells and modules have been growing with the growth of the PV market. The gap between manufacturing capacity of PV module and the demand contributed to the recent price reduction thus resulted in lower LCOE of PV power. Across the value chain, the PV upstream sector makes efforts to improve efficiency, output and reliability. Further progress of cost reduction is expected. In the downstream sector, players are also applying various methods to reduce LCOE.
2021 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE: FEASIBILITY OF BEHIND-THE-METER SYSTEMS FOR H...AurovilleConsulting
Unreliable grid supply drives consumers towards deploying power back-up solutions such as uninterrupted power systems and diesel generators. Solar plus energy storage becomes an increasingly attractive alternative as it can provide a degree of energy security and independence to the consumer. It is cheaper, quieter, takes up less space, avoids emissions and has a shorter response time compared to diesel generators.
In 2019-20 India imported batteries worth USD 1.2 billion making this sector heavily dependent on foreign manufacturing capacities. To reduce the dependence on imports and develop the local market, Niti Aayog, a Government of India think tank proposed setting up Giga capacity battery factories aggregating a capacity of 50 GWh over the next ten years at a projected cost of USD 5 billion. The Indian Government has proposed to offer subsidies to the tune of INR 700 Crore a year and also provide incentives such as the benefit of entire depreciation in one go and zero import duty on lithium, iron and cobalt to battery manufacturing industries.
Consumers, in India particularly, are highly cost sensitive. The recent decrease in the cost of both solar PV and Li-ion battery storage and an increasing commitment by a larger share of the population to shift towards sustainable solutions is expected to result in an increased uptake of BtM solar and energy storage systems.
This report compares the cost of supply from the grid, partial supply from solar and partial supply from solar plus energy storage (lithium-ion) on the consumer side of the service connection (behind-the-meter) for selected HT consumer types in Tamil Nadu.
LEVELISED COST OF BTM STORAGE IN INDIA 2021 – A STATUS REPORTAurovilleConsulting
This status report aims to present a snapshot of the current cost of energy storage in India for behind-the-meter (BtM) applications, and project them over the next 10 years to analyse when energy storage will start seeing significant adoption. Based on a detailed cost model for solar PV and energy storage with 50+ parameters & data on battery energy storage systems (BESS) gathered from several vendors in India, we evaluate the levelized cost of solar plus energy storage and standalone energy storage.
Even though as of today, BtM energy storage is not feasible in a lot of cases, we find that this will change fast this decade. By 2025, it will be possible for non-residential consumers to integrate large amounts of battery storage to generate and consume their own energy, enabling a distributed energy future. Along with it, the utilities face an inevitable transition from their traditional roles to distribution system operators.
Status of Distributed Solar Energy in Tamil Nadu – Challenges & Roadmap 2025AurovilleConsulting
As of the end of 2020, Tamil Nadu has an installed solar PV capacity of over 4 GW. However, distributed solar PV makes a disproportionately small contribution in this: less than 20%. This report outlines the current state of distributed solar energy in the State. It identifies and elaborates on the challenges for distributed solar energy in relation to: i) policy and regulations, ii) operational challenges, iii) solar PV financing, iv) skill development, and v) grid integration of solar energy. We explore a roadmap to 2025 consisting of a set of measures – foundational and advanced – for the utility and policy makers to accelerate the transition to a distributed solar energy future.
IMPLEMENTATION MODELS FOR DISTRIBUTED SOLAR IN TAMIL NADUAurovilleConsulting
This report explores the potential of a diverse set of business and implementation models for distributed solar energy generation in the context of Tamil Nadu. In 2019 Tamil Nadu introduced the Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2019 with a total solar energy target of 9,000 MW by 2023. The solar energy target is divided into two categories: utility category with a 5,400 MW target, and the consumer category with a 3,600 MW target.
India needs to grow its power generation 5x to 5,000 TWh a year in the next 20 years in order to develop. Where will this enormous amount of power come from? There are only two realistic options: a "coal-heavy" and a "solar-heavy" scenario. This presentation looks at these options and shows how solar could become the solar market opportunity of lifetime.
Telecom towers have traditionally relied on Gensets and Batteries for their power backup. With these methods, the challenges of high operating costs due to maintenance, repairs and cost of fuel are well known. Fuel cells have lately emerged as a potential alternate for this application. It is a market to watch closely as further technology improvements in the coming years will happen. The time is right to further improve upon the backup power technology. The Government, TRAI and telecom operators will need to work together to make fuel cells usage mainstream. Given the competitiveness of solar power, a hybrid of fuel cell & solar could emerge as a perfect combination which is reliable, sustainable, and a green alternative in future
BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DIESEL GENERATORS – A COM...AurovilleConsulting
Power demand across the country is growing, and meeting peak demand is becoming more challenging. In Tamil Nadu, frequent power outages are observed, especially during summer months. To reduce economic impacts of unreliable power supply, commercial and industrial (C&I) entities, undertake investments in power backup systems. The most commonly used systems are diesel generator sets (DG sets) and battery energy storage systems (BESS), also known as an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).
DG sets have been a convenient power backup option due to an established market, their reliability, affordability, and modularity. But they have a high environmental footprint, cause noise pollution and negatively impact human health. On the other hand, BESSs could operate on zero emissions, if charged from renewable energy sources, and with minimal noise pollution. And with no exhaust emissions, they are particularly helpful in urban areas.
The cost of batteries, especially those of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs, have been observing a dramatic drop – of 89% over the years 2010-2020. And, apart from performing their primary function as a power backup, BESSs can also provide grid services such as load shifting, load following, peak load management, voltage, and frequency support and facilitate higher levels of renewable energy integration. Thus, BESSs contest DG sets economically and technically as an alternative type of back-up system.
This report compares the economic and environmental performance of a Li-ion-based BESS with a conventional DG set, as power backup solutions. The analysis indicated that the levelized cost of battery storage (LCOS) is dictated by the battery pack costs in the market, while the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of the DG is sensitive to diesel prices. The cost analysis was carried over a range of hours of back-up required, and the results favour the Li-ion BESS as a back-up option, in terms of economic and environmental performance, especially when charged at solar tariff solar tariff.
We hope that this report will assist C&I entities in Tamil Nadu to make the most economic and environmentally sound investment in their power backup systems.
2019 DISTRIBUTED RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION – A STATUS REPORT FOR TAMIL NADUAurovilleConsulting
The global imperative for transitioning to a sustainable energy future accompanied by increasing cost competitiveness of renewables and new technology innovations is leading us to a transformation of the electricity sector. Distributed Renewable Energy Generation (DREG) and energy storage are among the key drivers of this change.
This status report attempts to trace the progress of Distributed Renewable Energy Generation (DREG) in Tamil Nadu and to highlight key barriers and enablers for a distributed renewable energy future.
The presentation highlights the following :
a) Current status of Renewable Energy in India
b) The issue of duck curve due to high volume of solar energy
c) Demand increase due to Electric Vehicle (EV) will lead to more demand for Renewable Energy
d) Global & Indian Market Scenario for Electric Vehicle (EV)
e) Recommendation of Niti Aayog for development of Electric Vehicle (EV) market in India
BRIEFING NOTE: IMPACT OF ROOFTOP SOLAR BY C&I CONSUMERS ON TANGEDCO’S FINANCESAurovilleConsulting
The Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2019 excludes HT consumers from availing the net feed-in metering mechanism. This discourages a large segment of industrial, commercial, and institutional consumers from installing consumer category solar PV plants.
The only option available for these HT consumers for generating solar energy on their premises is to operate the plant under paralleling, in which any excess generation has to be either curtailed or stored. One key driver for excluding HT consumers from the net feed-in mechanism was a perceived revenue loss in the case of HT consumers installing rooftop solar energy systems. Under the existing cross-subsidy scheme higher tariff paying consumers are cross-subsidizing lower tariff paying consumers.
The Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy sets a consumer category solar energy target of 3,600 MW by 2023. As of December 2020, 6.87% of this target has been achieved. If the target of 3,600 MW is achieved by 2023 the solar energy from consumer category solar energy will represent an approximate 4% of the total electricity consumption in Tamil Nadu only.
If the solar net feed-in mechanism with the current net feed-in tariff of 2.28 INR/kWh were made available for all C&I consumers including the HT consumer categories, then TANGEDCO will benefit from consumer category solar energy systems installed on the premises of C&I consumers by reducing its Average Cost of Supply and by increasing its net billing revenue.
Under the current schedule of tariffs, the adaptation of consumer category solar energy systems by C&I consumers presents an opportunity rather than a threat to TANGEDCO to reduce its cost of supply and improve its billing revenue.
Business Unusual: Strategic Perspectives on the Utilities Consumer Marketplaceaccenture
A major transformation of utilities market is challenging traditional business and operational models. Accenture analysis of the likely demand disruption scenario points to a significant financial impact on the traditional utility model by 2025. Leading utilities are adapting to the chaining marketplace.
Auroville has been active in renewable energy generation since the early years, starting with windmills for water pumping and stand-alone solar PV systems with battery banks. In 2012 Auroville pioneered rooftop grid-connected solar energy by proposing to the Tamil Nadu Government that pilot projects may be undertaken in Auroville with grid-connectivity.
Similar to 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE: FEASIBILITY OF BEHIND-THE-METER SYSTEMS FOR LT CONSUMERS IN TAMIL NADU (20)
India's pursuit of climate targets, including net-zero emissions by 2070, hinges on integrating renewable energy. The power sector's heavy reliance on fossil fuels necessitates a significant shift towards renewables. With a rising demand for electricity, effective demand-side management strategies are vital to ensure grid stability. Time-of-use (ToU) tariffs, recognized globally, play a crucial role in this strategy, offering a more accurate reflection of electricity costs compared to flat rates.
This report focuses on evaluating the impact of various ToU tariff designs on grid management parameters for Tamil Nadu in 2024. The objective is to assess how static ToU tariffs prompt consumers to shift or reduce electricity usage, facilitating greater renewable energy integration. The study considers 27 ToU tariff designs, assuming 17% wind energy and 11% solar energy. Notably, findings are specific to Tamil Nadu's energy demand pattern, peaking in early afternoon hours in April.
Results emphasize the importance of defining peak and off-peak time slots optimally to reduce peak loads and curtailment of renewables. Shifting peak hours from 6:00h-10:00h and 18:00h-22:00h to 5:00h-7:00h and 17:00h-23:00h improves key parameters, including a reduction in peak load instances on the gross and net load. Introducing a tariff rebate during solar energy generation hours (solar sponge) from 10:00h to 16:00h effectively reduces peak load magnitudes and encourages load distribution throughout the day, enhancing grid stability. Adjusting peak hour tariffs and shifting peak hours has a noticeable impact on load distribution and peak load occurrences.
The study indicates that a 25% increase in peak-hour tariffs outperforms a more aggressive 40% increase, which may create new peak load instances. Simulated off-peak rebates of 5% and 10% during late night and early morning hours have negligible effects.
Overall, these findings underscore the potential benefits of implementing ToU tariffs for all consumer categories, including reduced peak loads, load range occurrences, and ramping requirements. Careful consideration of peak hour tariffs and adjustments to peak hours can further optimise load distribution and maximise the efficiency of the power grid. To meet its RPO and its climate change objectives Tamil Nadu will have to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy generation. In order to manage the variable nature of wind and solar energy generation and of demand the grid management will require a higher degree of demand and generation flexibility services.
Auroville Consulting (AVC) published its annual sustainability report for the financial year 2022-23.
This year we intensified this practice along with the digital footprint through network usage and website hosting, understanding the impact of our recently installed HVAC system, and emissions avoided through providing e-bikes to all our team members. We have achieved a net zero emission balance for FY 2022-23. This was made possible through planned interventions and implementation of good practices to reduce gross emissions, followed by investment in long term effective carbon positive projects. Some key highlights:
● 92% of this year’s gross emissions were offset by planting trees and the remaining 8% was offset by excess solar generation, making AVC a carbon net-zero organisation.
● 100% of electricity demand was supplied by renewable energy through rooftop solar.
● 25.58 kWh of electricity was consumed per square meter of office space, which is 75% lower than the benchmark of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for an office building in a warm and humid climate (Benchmark: 101 kWh/sq. m/yr).
● From March 2022 onwards, the organisation has been providing electric two-wheelers to all its full-time team members for their daily commute to and from office and for their own personal use, along with a charging facility supplied by an additional installed capacity of rooftop solar. This initiative resulted in :
o An emission reduction of 2,584 kg CO2e for their daily commute to and from office, which is an 88% decrease in comparison to the previous year, and
o An emission reduction of 6,309 kgCO2e, which was achieved by converting the personal commute of our team members to e-vehicles and charging them through renewable energy. This is a value higher than the total gross emissions of the organisation..
● 98% of the operational expenditure was made in local areas, with 91% inside Auroville; and the remaining 2% in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu – preventing unnecessary emissions and stimulating the local economy.
Rajapalayam is the taluk headquarters of Rajapalayam Taluk, and an important town in the district of Virudhunagar within the State of Tamil Nadu. Rajapalayam LPA, which includes Rajapalayam town, 15 surrounding revenue villages and 2 reserved forests, has a total population of 2.16 lakh, as per the 2011 Census. In 2023, a master plan was formulated for Rajapalayam LPA, the master plan has a planning period till 2041. The master plan was meant to foster sustainable urban development, responsible land-use and resource efficiency and is expected to propel the town on a pathway towards decarbonization and inclusive growth. Rajapalayam is the first town in Tamil Nadu that has aspired to announce a GHG emission reduction target, it aims at achieving net zero emissions by the year 2041.
It is in this context that an emissions inventory for the town has been developed. The purpose of this GHG emissions inventory is to report on the sources and magnitude of GHG emissions. While this inventory provides us a broad understanding of today’s emissions, consecutive reports on a yearly or bi-yearly basis can help improve the quality of the data and understand the progress of the activities undertaken by the LPA to reduce their impact on the surrounding environment.
ELECTRICITY SUBSIDY AND A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION IN TAMIL NADUAurovilleConsulting
To address climate change, to promote adaptation and resilience, to eliminate energy poverty, and to ensure a just energy transition, countries and states will have to mobilise substantial financial resources. A recent study estimated that India will need to invest a 900 billion USD over the next 30 years to ensure a ‘just energy transition’ (Bushan 2023). While developed countries have pledged to provide climate finance to developing countries, these pledges have not been fulfilled, or are very slow to arrive, or are insufficient. Developing countries will need to find additional and alternative resources to accelerate the decarbonization of its economies and to invest into climate adaptation. The United Nations (2022) has outlined a few interventions that can help in accelerating a just energy transition. These include:
to make renewable energy technologies a public good,
to shift energy subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and
to triple investments into renewables.
In 2009, G20 members committed to phasing out and rationalizing fossil fuel subsidies in the medium term (Reuters 2009). But as of 2022, fossil fuel subsidies have not been phased out, neither have they been reduced; instead, fossil fuel subsidies exceeded USD 1 trillion globally for the first time. This is largely due to governments’ increased subsidies to cushion consumers from rising energy prices (IISD 2023).
Energy subsidies are found in virtually every country. Justifications for their use range from social welfare protection, job creation, encouragement of renewable energy sources, promotion of economic development, to energy security. However, it may be worth examining some of the current energy subsidy schemes asking if and to what extent these subsidy schemes are contributing to a just energy transition and to what extent these subsidies align with the proposed three interventions by the UN.
Read the full report here: https://www.aurovilleconsulting.com/electricity-subsidy-and-a-just-energy-transition-in-tamil-nadu/
LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, MAYILADUTHURAI DISTRIC...AurovilleConsulting
Land is a finite resource with competing and conflicting use. Unplanned and unscientific use of land can exacerbate climate change, and disasters like drought or floods. Judicious use of land resources is key in meeting the state’s social, economic, and environmental development goals. A comprehensive land suitability assessment can guide responsible and sustainable development practices and land-use policies.
Land and water are closely interlinked, as the availability and flow of freshwater depends on the land characteristics, such as its topography and composition, amongst other factors. Therefore, certain areas of lands naturally act as better sinks for capturing stormwater or surface run-off water from precipitation. Freshwater, on the other hand, is a critical resource, and the stress on freshwater resources is expected to increase with growing population, development, and climate change. According to India’s Composite Water Management Index (Niti Aayog, 2018), 600 million people in the country are suffering from an acute shortage of water. Read more in the report: https://www.aurovilleconsulting.com/land-suitability-assessment-for-stormwater-management-mayiladuthurai-district-tamil-nadu/
MAXIMISING THE BENEFITS OF DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ENERGY: AN EVALUATIONAurovilleConsulting
Tamil Nadu is making significant strides towards a sustainable energy future, supported by announcements of adding 20 GW of solar energy capacity and 10 GW of battery energy storage capacity by 2030. The state’s policy and regulatory frameworks, including the Tamil Nadu Solar Policy and the Generic Tariff Order, are driving the adoption of grid-connected distributed solar energy. As the adoption of distributed generation systems increases, the importance of smart grid integration becomes evident. Studies that provide an avoided cost assessment offer an opportunity to network operators to identify the most appropriate distribution network nodes and distributed renewable energy (DRE) capacities
This report focuses on evaluating the network and societal impacts of introducing distributed solar energy in the Karungalpalayam HT Feeder under the Erode substation. This analysis provides valuable insights into the distribution of active power and voltage, allowing operators to optimize network performance. The report utilized the Solva tool. Solva is a web-based tool with the aim to assist grid operators in assessing the network and societal value of distributed energy resources (VODER). Solva assesses both network benefits and societal benefits. Network benefits encompass the avoided costs associated with energy, distribution capacity, transmission capacity, and generation capacity. Simultaneously, societal benefits factor in the avoided costs of CO2 emissions, SO2 emissions, NO2 emissions, and PM2.5 emissions.
For the selected feeder a 4.50 MW solar energy system interconnected at the tail end of the feeder results in a VODER benefit of INR 12.84 per kWh. These benefit is subdivided into network benefitss and societal benefit. The societal benefits achieved from the integration contribute to 8.84 INR/kWh or 69% of the total benefit. Network benefits are found to be at 4.00 INR/kWh or 31%. With the integration of distributed solar energy, the distribution line losses show a reduction, particularly if interconnected at the middle end or tail end of the HT feeder. When the solar energy system is interconnected at the tail end or at the middle end of Karungalpalayam HT Feeder, a deferral of feeder upgradation is found.In particular to Karungalpalayam HT feeder, interconnecting the distributed solar energy system close to the point of consumption offers the highest benefits.
In 2022 a GHG emission baseline for Auroville was established. The inventory highlighted the overall emissions from the community. This report now intends to assess the sequestration capabilities of Auroville land under tree cover for a five-year period from February 2017 to February 2022. The tree cover in Auroville is a prime contributor to the community’s long-term vision of sustainable development. The overall tree cover includes the residential zones, industrial zones, parks, public spaces and the designated green belt area of Auroville developed and maintained by the Forest Group of Auroville.
The cumulative carbon stock for Auroville’s land under tree cover of 920 hectares for the time period from February 2017 to February 2022 was estimated at 34,778 tCO2e. This equals an average carbon stock addition of 6,956 tCO2e per year. The average carbon stock per hectare of forest land in Tamil Nadu was estimated at 87.26 tCO2e/year. The average carbon stock per hectare over five years for the Auroville forest was found to be 99.96 tCO2e/year which is 14.55% above the average.
As per the Auroville Greenhouse Gas Accounting Report, Auroville produced 8,298.54 tCO2e in FY 2018- 2019, this excludes emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFLOU) and industrial production and product use (IPPU). Auroville’s green cover sequestered 84% of its total emission or 6,956 tCO2e per year. The surplus CO2e emitted for FY 2018-19 therefore is 1,343 tCO2e or 16%. To offset this carbon an additional 19.82 hectare of land would need to be converted from moderately dense forest to very dense forest. This could also be achieved by installing a 1.19 MW solar energy capacity or by transitioning all units to low or zero emission transport solutions.
Consistent studies either on a yearly or bi-yearly basis can help improve accuracy of emissions tracking and sequestration numbers of the community and help set targets. This would lead to additional financing opportunities and access to voluntary mechanisms such as carbon financing to support existing forestry activities.
During the last COP events (COP 26 and COP 27) India stepped up its climate ambitions and announced a goal of reaching net-zero by the year 2070. More specifically its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) includes to achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
In December 2022 Tamil Nadu launched its own Climate Change Mission. Its goals include the development of strategies to cut emissions by using green and renewable energy. This complements an earlier announcement by the State Government, that it aims to add an additional 20 GW of solar energy by the year 2030.
More recently, in March 2023, the Tamil Nadu Governments announced that it will target that 50% of all energy will be sourced from renewable energy sources. If the state where to meet this target it would firmly establish itself as a climate leader on the national and international stage. Further, Tamil Nadu aspires to be a leading export state and as there is increasing international supply chain pressures for industries to reduce their carbon emissions accelerating the transition towards a renewable energy can help its industries to stay competitive in a decarbonizing world. An accelerated energy transition will also promote Tamil Nadu as an attractive location for industries.
In FY 2021-22 the total energy generated was 1,17,553 million units (MU). Renewable energy, this is solar, wind, bioenergy, and hydro, accounted for a 22% of the total energy generation in FY 2021-22. Coal power with a share of 70% is the single largest energy sources. This total energy generation can be subdivided into two parts, (i) energy procured by TANGEDCO and (ii) energy under Open Access. TANGEDCO accounted for 83% or 97,297 MU of energy in FY 2021-22. Whereas the remaining 17% of 20,266 MU are on account of Open Access.
Interestingly TANGEDO procured only 16% of its energy from renewables. Whereas 52% of all energy under Open Access is RE. 51% of all energy procured by TANGEDCO came from either TANGEDCO owned or Centra owned coal power plants. The actual share of coal power may be higher as there is 24% of energy that was sourced under the category ‘Short term and others’ and this may primarily be coal power.
To meet the 2030 RE target an additional 60,637 MU of RE will need to be generated in 2030. This represents approximately an addition of 28 GW of wind energy capacity or a 32 GW of solar energy capacity and means that in the next six years starting with FY 2023-24 approximately 4.80– 5.50 GW of renewable energy capacity needs to go on-grid. The average annual RE capacity addition in Tamil Nadu from 2018 to 2023 was 1.21 GW.
Meeting the 50% RE target will require a concerted effort by all major power sector institutions and players including the distribution licensee, the Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Energy Department, Independent Power producers and the consumers/prosumers.
In the face of the global climate crisis there is an increasing commitment to decarbonise the global economy. This is highlighted by a shift towards renewable energy sources, the energy transition. Energy transition is the process of reducing reliance on fossil fuel across the economy and moving toward greater use of cleaner energy sources such as renewables.
Globally, countries, including those in the European Union, are introducing legislative measures to accelerate the decarbonisation of its economies. In January 2021, the European Union (EU) introduced a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). CBAM is part of the EU’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It will put restrictions at the borders on goods produced with carbon and Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
While the carbon price will be levied from 2026 onwards, the reporting of emissions on imported goods has stated in January 2023. CBAM is initially focusing on some key sectors only, but is expected to expand over time. Sectors for which CBAM applies include:
Iron and steel, Cement, Chemicals, Aluminium, Paper, Glass, Fertilizers, Pulp and paper, Textiles,Ceramics,Basic metals
Other countries or regions that consider introducing similar mechanisms include: Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Japan and South Korea.
The EU is a key export market for India, it is India’s third largest trading partner. India’s exports to the EU were worth EUR 46.20 billion in 2021. Compliance of Indian companies with the EU CBAM will require monitoring, calculating and disclosure of the GHG emissions embedded in the products covered under CBAM.
Tamil Nadu has the second largest state economy in India. The Tamil Nadu Government has set a goal of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030. The state has a diversified manufacturing sector and features among the leaders in several industries like automobiles and auto components, engineering, pharmaceuticals, garments, textiles, leather, chemicals, plastics, etc.
The role of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the economic and social development of the country is well established. Tamil Nadu has the third-largest number of MSMEs in the country with a share of 8% or about five million enterprises (MSME Department 2022). MSMEs form an important and growing segment of the state’s industrial sector, contributing 12.09% to the GSDP. However, the growth of the state’s MSME sector has been severely impacted by Covid and has been stagnant.
As Tamil Nadu aspires to be a leading export state in India at a time when more countries are proposing Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) decarbonisation will become an imperative for export-oriented industries to stay completive. For the exported goods from Tamil Nadu to be compliant with regulations it is important to decarbonise the production. The decarbonization will also be paramount for the MSME sector.
LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ENERGY, VILLUPURAM DISTRICTAurovilleConsulting
Land is a finite resource with competing and conflicting use. Unplanned and unscientific use of land can exacerbate climate change, and disasters like drought or floods. Judicious use of land resources is key in meeting the state’s social, economic, and environmental development goals. A comprehensive land suitability assessment can guide responsible and sustainable development practices and land-use policies.
As per its intended Nationally Determined Contribution under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, India is targeting 50% of its cumulative power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. Tamil Nadu has announced that it aims at adding an additional 20 GW of solar energy capacity by the year 2030. This capacity addition is envisioned to be primarily achieved by distributed solar energy generation.
One of the key challenges in developing solar energy project is the identification of suitable lands and land acquisition. The complex land acquisition process can lead to project delays or even cancelation of proposed projects. Unused or fallow lands can be of particular interest for solar energy development. This method avoids the uptake of land under productive agricultural use. Local authorities can proactively facilitate solar energy development in the district by identifying unused lands and by undertaking a solar suitability assessment of these lands. This geospatial information if provided to solar developers and electricity distribution companies has the potential to spur local economic development and to create green jobs.
The objective of this report is to identify unused lands in Villupuram district and to evaluate to what extent these unused lands can be utilized to meet the state’s solar energy capacity addition target of 20 GW by the year 2030. Deploying 20 GW of ground mounted solar energy will require approximately 80,000 acres of land, this represents 0.25% of Tamil Nadu’s total geographical area (TGA).
Villupuram, district has a total geographical area of 3,907 km2 of which 1,092 km2 or 28% has been classified as unused or fallow lands. The district’s solar energy target has been set as a proportional share of the state’s solar energy capacity addition target of 20 GW by 2030. The district’s target is to add 0.62 GW of solar energy by 2030. This requires a land area of 2,465 acres. The land suitability analysis revealed that 92,149 acres of unused land have a technical potential for ground mounted solar energy development. These lands are distributed over 3,084 plots. The suitable lands identified can accommodate up to 23.04 GW of solar capacity, this would help achieving a whooping 3,738% of (or 37 times) the district’s solar capacity addition target.
THE SOLAR ENERGY-LAND NEXUS SUSTAINABLE LAND USE STRATEGY FOR SOLAR ENERGY IN...AurovilleConsulting
Energy generation can have intensive or extensive land use requirements, causing habitat and biodiversity loss in sensitive and diverse ecosystems globally or competing with other land use such as agriculture.
As a direct consequence of the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires global decarbonization, renewable energy sources will continue to expand, in particular solar and wind. The increasing land use for renewable energy generation systems and related infrastructure will become more relevant in the future. The extent to which the overall land use balance will be more favourable than for non-renewable sources depends on the mix of renewables, their siting and centralized or decentralized mode of deployment (UNEP, 2016). Innovative deployment of renewables can reduce land use pressures, as well as avoid landscape disturbances caused by fossil fuels and nuclear energy (Lovins, 2011).
While the use of fossil fuels is limited by the size of the resource (including future cost and the carbon dioxide (CO2 ) budget), renewable energy and in particular solar energy, is mostly restricted by land use allocation and by the availability or solar irradiation or adequate windspeeds.
Land or sea occupancy is one of the most visible impacts for any energy development. The relatively large land requirement for solar energy highlights the importance of good mitigation practices to help facilitate the transition into a renewable energy future. Fortunately, the abundance of solar energy means that, unlike other energy sources, there is often flexibility in project siting, allowing the integration of solar energy systems with buildings and infrastructure assets or the co-location of solar energy systems with agricultural practices or the use of wastelands.
Tamil Nadu has set a target of adding a 20 GW of solar energy by 2030. If this target is to be primarily met by ground-mounted solar plants a 405 km2 land area will be required. Considering the projected annual electrical energy demand of 4,89,395 MU by 2050 (Auroville Consulting 2022) the need to decarbonize the state’s power sector and the fact that solar is among the most cost -efficient energy sources today, the potential land-impact of solar is substantial. Meeting 50% of the projected electricity demand for 2050 would require 133 GW of solar capacity, and 2,691 km2 of land resources, which equals the total geographical area of Chengalpattu District or 2.07% of the state’s geographical area.
There are competing and often conflicting demands for land for economic, ecological, and social needs in the development sector. It will be critical to limit the conversion of agricultural lands for solar energy development.
https://www.aurovilleconsulting.com/
LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR FORESTATION, MAYILADUTHURAI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADUAurovilleConsulting
Land is a finite resource with competing and conflicting use. Unplanned and unscientific use of land can exacerbate climate change, and disasters like drought or floods. Judicious use of land resources is key in meeting the state’s social, economic and environmental development goals. A comprehensive land suitability assessment can guide responsible and sustainable development practices and land-use policies.
As per its intended Nationally Determined Contribution under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, India is targeting the creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2030 – through additional forest and tree cover of 25-30 million hectares. In this context, the State Government of Tamil Nadu has set a target to increase its percentage of tree cover from 23% to 33% by the year 2030.
A forestation land suitability assessment for the Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India was carried out using a geospatial digital tool LiLa (LifeLands). LiLa uses satellite imagery, AI & GIS mapping to create critical data-based insights and visualization that supports decision-making by providing detailed information. This includes geo-spatial and socio-economic data-layers to address the core aspects of sustainable land-use management. It identifies and evaluates unused lands for its potential in terms of solar energy, forestation and water management.
The objective of this report is to identify unused lands in Mayiladuthurai district and evaluate its potential for forestation initiatives that can contribute meeting the state’s tree-cover target of 33% by the year 2030.
Identified unused lands were evaluated based on multiple-criteria methodology including parameters pertaining to terrain suitability, existing road, rail and electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure, elevation, water potential and potential to create forest corridors. The lands are also further assessed based on their potential for competing climate action, such as areas that are suitable for water harvesting and solar energy generation.
The land use mapping indicates that 8% of the district’s geographical area is under tree cover. Agriculture land use is by far the most dominating land use category accounting for 63%. Identified unused lands account for an area of 118 km2 or 10% of the total geographical area. Out of the total identified unused lands 56% or 16,237 acres have been found to be suitable for forestation. If all the unused lands suitable for forestation were put under tree cover Mayiladuthurai district would increase its share of lands under tree cover from 8% to 13.5% creating a carbon stock of 0.55 million tonnes of carbon.
PATHWAYS TO DECARBONISATION – MODELLING TAMIL NADU’S POWER SECTOR DECARBONISA...AurovilleConsulting
Tamil Nadu’s electricity demand is expected to increase year on year, and so are the sector’s absolute carbon dioxide emissions. Considering India’s commitments under the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention, and the recent announcement of targeting net zero carbon by 2070, Tamil Nadu will require a long-term strategy to reduce its emissions. This may start with establishing sector-specific emission inventories, followed by sector-specific emission target setting.
The power sector is deemed to be one of the sectors easiest to decarbonise. One of the first steps for putting in place a decarbonisation strategy is target setting. This report assumes a net-zero carbon target for the Tamil Nadu power sector by 2050. It applies the Sectoral Decarbonisation Approach (SDA) of the Science Based Target (SBT) model to simulate decarbonisation pathways that are in line with the goals of the Paris agreement – limiting global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels (ETP B2DS) and pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C (SBT 1.5°C) respectively.
In this paper, we undertake the following steps:
1) Projecting the electricity generation for the upcoming years along with the corresponding emissions.
2) Setting targets for the emissions based on the Science Based Targets (SBT).
3) Comparing various scenario planning models for decarbonising the electricity sector of Tamil Nadu.
LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ENERGY MAYILADUTHURAI DISTR...AurovilleConsulting
A land assessment for the Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu, India was carried out using a geospatial digital tool LiLa (LifeLands) developed in-house. LiLa uses satellite imagery, AI & GIS Mapping to create critical data-based insights and visualization that supports decision-making by providing detailed information. This includes geo-spatial and socio-economic data-layers to address the core aspects of sustainable land-use management. It identifies and evaluates unused lands for its potential in terms of solar energy, reforestation and water management.
The objective of this report is to identify unused lands for this district and evaluate to what extent these unused lands can be utilized to meet the state’s solar energy target of 20 GW by the year 2030. The lands were evaluated based on multiple levels of criteria that accounted for plot size, and their distance from evacuation infrastructure, roads, railways and waterbodies. The lands are also further assessed based on their potential for climate action, such as areas that are suitable for forestation and water harvesting.
The assessment indicated that a target of 0.29 GW of solar installation is achievable with lands that meet the technical criteria. Lands ranked medium can achieve a cumulative capacity of 0.46 GW with a total area of 1,860 acres. Lands ranked high with a total area 698 acres can achieve a capacity of 0.17 GW.
The prevalence of offshore wind is growing globally. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the total installed capacity worldwide climbed to 57.2 GW at the end of 2021. Offshore wind technology has key advantages such as eliminating the need for large areas of land and harnessing energy from better wind conditions than onshore. Currently, India does not have any installed capacity. However, there has been a recent build-up in momentum. Tamil Nadu has been identified as one of the highest potential states for harnessing offshore wind energy in India. But the State faces technical, social, and financial barriers for phasing-in this new technology. In this regard, the Tamil Nadu Government can play a key role in unlocking this significant source of energy by (i) providing the overall infrastructure required, (ii) engaging with local stakeholders, and (iii) facilitating the clearance process for offshore wind projects, among others.
BRIEFING NOTE: ELECTRIFICATION OF TOP-PERFORMING INDUSTRIES IN TAMIL NADUAurovilleConsulting
Tamil Nadu is one of the most industrialised states in India and accounted for 9.47% of India’s GDP in FY 2020-21. Tamil Nadu aspires to be a leading export state in India at a time when more countries are proposing Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). CBAM includes the introduction of a carbon price on certain products imported into the European Union (EU). This will put restrictions at the borders of the EU on goods produced with carbon and Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). As per an assessment of the World Bank, many countries are considering setting a carbon price in the years to come. Tamil Nadu could be exporting its finished goods to a few of those countries in the future. For the exported goods from Tamil Nadu to be regulation-proof, it is important to decarbonise the production. The first step towards decarbonisation is the electrification of the processes in the industries. This briefing note explores the potential for the electrification of some of the processes in the top-performing (in terms of contribution to the State’s GDP) industrial sectors of Tamil Nadu.
The second phase of the Auroville Smart Mini Grid is also complete. Driven and conceived by Auroville Consulting it compromises 108 kW of distributed rooftop solar energy systems. The solar PV systems reduces Auroville’s electricity consumption from the TANGEDCO grid by an average of 1,57,680 kWh per year and reduces it’s dependency on TANGEDCO. This is another step forward towards self reliance and sustainability. The project includes an energy storage system with a capacity of 10 kWh, 20 smart energy meters with a remote reading facility and additions to the Auroville internal electricity distribution system. Further we were able to upgrade our internal HT and LT distribution infrastructure and started piloting an active demand response program for domestic air conditioners and for municipal water pumps. The project was lead by Auroville Consulting. Other Auroville units include Auroville Electrical Service, Sunlit Future & Aurinoco.
Inspired by the method of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, this report attempts to consolidate data on the performance of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO). The aim of this work is to initiate and develop holistic benchmarks. These key performance indicators would help TANGEDCO to track its own performance. Apart from the KPIs, this report also highlights the importance of sharing data in a public domain for the civil society to access.
BRIEFING NOTE: RECOVERY OF TANGEDCO’S FIXED COSTS FOR GENERATION, DISTRIBUTIO...AurovilleConsulting
This briefing note analyses the recovery of fixed costs through demand/fixed charges, compares the average fixed costs incurred with the fixed charges levied for select consumer categories, and finally compares the increase in the monthly billing rate of select consumer categories upon an increase in the fixed charges.
In none of the years from FY 2011-12 up until FY 2018-19 was TANGEDCO able to recover its Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR). One of the reasons is the under-recovery of fixed costs through fixed/demand charges levied.
TANGEDCO was unable to recover its fixed costs through demand/fixed charges since FY 2011-2012 since the demand/fixed charges component in the tariff schedule does not represent the actual fixed costs incurred. Since the fixed costs are under-recovered, there is a shortfall in meeting the ARR.
A rationalisation of the demand/fixed charges levied across all consumer categories would ensure the complete recovery of all fixed costs incurred and equal distribution4 of these costs. This entails an increase in demand/fixed charges for all LT consumers. Whereas the demand charges for all HT consumers would be lowered. Such a rationalisation of the demand/fixed charges would result in completely recovering the net ARR.
The benefits of recovering fixed costs through demand/fixed charges include the following:
• Reducing the need for tariff cross-subsidies;
• Reduction in TANGEDCO’s revenue gap and higher recovery of the net ARR;
• Reduce the migration of HT consumers to other states with more attractive tariff schedules;
• De-risking of energy demand changes that result in lower energy off-take from sources with fixed capacity booking costs.
BRIEFING NOTE: COMMUNITY SOLAR FOR DOMESTIC CONSUMERS AS ALTERNATIVE TO ELECT...AurovilleConsulting
Electricity tariffs for domestic consumers and several other consumer categories such as agriculture, huts, etc., are subsidized by the Government of Tamil Nadu. In addition to the electricity subsidy provided by the Government, TANGEDCO cross-subsidises the lower consumer tariffs from revenue collected from higher tariff paying customers. However, TANGEDCO is not able to recover its cost of supply. In 2015-16 TANGEDCO’s cumulative revenue gap was INR 30,884 Crore (TNERC 2017a). The trued-up revenue gap for the subsequent years is not available in the public domain, but the revenue gap is expected to have increased as no tariff revisions took place after the year 2017.
The Ministry of Power has repeatedly requested State Governments to phase out cross-subsidies and introduce a direct benefit transfer scheme in lieu of the current electricity subsidy scheme.
This briefing note presents alternatives to the current energy subsidy and cross-subsidy schemes along with the implementation of a tariff rationalization for the domestic consumer category and assess the impact on consumers, TANGEDCO, and the Tamil Nadu State Government.
Presented by The Global Peatlands Assessment: Mapping, Policy, and Action at GLF Peatlands 2024 - The Global Peatlands Assessment: Mapping, Policy, and Action
Top 8 Strategies for Effective Sustainable Waste Management.pdfJhon Wick
Discover top strategies for effective sustainable waste management, including product removal and product destruction. Learn how to reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, implement waste segregation, and explore innovative technologies for a greener future.
Climate Change All over the World .pptxsairaanwer024
Climate change refers to significant and lasting changes in the average weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It encompasses both global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. While climate change is a natural phenomenon, human activities, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, have accelerated its pace and intensity
WRI’s brand new “Food Service Playbook for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices” gives food service operators the very latest strategies for creating dining environments that empower consumers to choose sustainable, plant-rich dishes. This research builds off our first guide for food service, now with industry experience and insights from nearly 350 academic trials.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT GREEN WASHING IS!.pdfJulietMogola
Many companies today use green washing to lure the public into thinking they are conserving the environment but in real sense they are doing more harm. There have been such several cases from very big companies here in Kenya and also globally. This ranges from various sectors from manufacturing and goes to consumer products. Educating people on greenwashing will enable people to make better choices based on their analysis and not on what they see on marketing sites.
"Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes, Human Impacts, and Strategies for...MMariSelvam4
The carbon cycle is a critical component of Earth's environmental system, governing the movement and transformation of carbon through various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. This complex cycle involves several key processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and carbon sequestration, each contributing to the regulation of carbon levels on the planet.
Human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, have significantly altered the natural carbon cycle, leading to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and driving climate change. Understanding the intricacies of the carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impacts of these changes and developing effective mitigation strategies.
By studying the carbon cycle, scientists can identify carbon sources and sinks, measure carbon fluxes, and predict future trends. This knowledge is crucial for crafting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable practices. The carbon cycle's interplay with climate systems, ecosystems, and human activities underscores its importance in maintaining a stable and healthy planet.
In-depth exploration of the carbon cycle reveals the delicate balance required to sustain life and the urgent need to address anthropogenic influences. Through research, education, and policy, we can work towards restoring equilibrium in the carbon cycle and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
Characterization and the Kinetics of drying at the drying oven and with micro...Open Access Research Paper
The objective of this work is to contribute to valorization de Nephelium lappaceum by the characterization of kinetics of drying of seeds of Nephelium lappaceum. The seeds were dehydrated until a constant mass respectively in a drying oven and a microwawe oven. The temperatures and the powers of drying are respectively: 50, 60 and 70°C and 140, 280 and 420 W. The results show that the curves of drying of seeds of Nephelium lappaceum do not present a phase of constant kinetics. The coefficients of diffusion vary between 2.09.10-8 to 2.98. 10-8m-2/s in the interval of 50°C at 70°C and between 4.83×10-07 at 9.04×10-07 m-8/s for the powers going of 140 W with 420 W the relation between Arrhenius and a value of energy of activation of 16.49 kJ. mol-1 expressed the effect of the temperature on effective diffusivity.
Willie Nelson Net Worth: A Journey Through Music, Movies, and Business Venturesgreendigital
Willie Nelson is a name that resonates within the world of music and entertainment. Known for his unique voice, and masterful guitar skills. and an extraordinary career spanning several decades. Nelson has become a legend in the country music scene. But, his influence extends far beyond the realm of music. with ventures in acting, writing, activism, and business. This comprehensive article delves into Willie Nelson net worth. exploring the various facets of his career that have contributed to his large fortune.
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Introduction
Willie Nelson net worth is a testament to his enduring influence and success in many fields. Born on April 29, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. Nelson's journey from a humble beginning to becoming one of the most iconic figures in American music is nothing short of inspirational. His net worth, which estimated to be around $25 million as of 2024. reflects a career that is as diverse as it is prolific.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Humble Origins
Willie Hugh Nelson was born during the Great Depression. a time of significant economic hardship in the United States. Raised by his grandparents. Nelson found solace and inspiration in music from an early age. His grandmother taught him to play the guitar. setting the stage for what would become an illustrious career.
First Steps in Music
Nelson's initial foray into the music industry was fraught with challenges. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue his dreams, but success did not come . Working as a songwriter, Nelson penned hits for other artists. which helped him gain a foothold in the competitive music scene. His songwriting skills contributed to his early earnings. laying the foundation for his net worth.
Rise to Stardom
Breakthrough Albums
The 1970s marked a turning point in Willie Nelson's career. His albums "Shotgun Willie" (1973), "Red Headed Stranger" (1975). and "Stardust" (1978) received critical acclaim and commercial success. These albums not only solidified his position in the country music genre. but also introduced his music to a broader audience. The success of these albums played a crucial role in boosting Willie Nelson net worth.
Iconic Songs
Willie Nelson net worth is also attributed to his extensive catalog of hit songs. Tracks like "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "On the Road Again," and "Always on My Mind" have become timeless classics. These songs have not only earned Nelson large royalties but have also ensured his continued relevance in the music industry.
Acting and Film Career
Hollywood Ventures
In addition to his music career, Willie Nelson has also made a mark in Hollywood. His distinctive personality and on-screen presence have landed him roles in several films and television shows. Notable appearances include roles in "The Electric Horseman" (1979), "Honeysuckle Rose" (1980), and "Barbarosa" (1982). These acting gigs have added a significant amount to Willie Nelson net worth.
Television Appearances
Nelson's char
Artificial Reefs by Kuddle Life Foundation - May 2024punit537210
Situated in Pondicherry, India, Kuddle Life Foundation is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to improving the living standards of coastal communities and simultaneously placing a strong emphasis on the protection of marine ecosystems.
One of the key areas we work in is Artificial Reefs. This presentation captures our journey so far and our learnings. We hope you get as excited about marine conservation and artificial reefs as we are.
Please visit our website: https://kuddlelife.org
Our Instagram channel:
@kuddlelifefoundation
Our Linkedin Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kuddlelifefoundation/
and write to us if you have any questions:
info@kuddlelife.org
3. 2 32020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This publication forms part of the Sustainable Energy Transformation, Tamil Nadu
(SET-TN) series of documents and activities. SET-TN aims to facilitate higher clean
energy deployment in the State by working with all stakeholders in order to find
sustainable and equitable solutions. SET-TN is a collaborative initiative by Auroville
Consulting (AVC), Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) and the World
Resources Institute India (WRI).
Multiple industry experts supported us with information and data on the cost
of Li-ion energy storage technology: Hemanth Kumar (Waaree Energy Storage
Solutions), Praveen Venigalla (Mahindra Powerol), Nitin Singhal (Exicom Power
Solutions), Sharad Srivastava (CTech Energy), Rishi Kapoor (Sunlit Future), Munish
Handa (Coslight India), Ramakrishna G K (Wartsila), Yash Roongta (Renon India),
Shanmuganandam (TouchEnergy), and Nitesh Bhutada (Newen Systems).
The electricity grid is a complex system in which supply and demand must be equal at any given
moment. The intermittency of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, and variability of
demand creates a substantial mismatch between energy produced and required. A transition towards
a decarbonized and sustainable energy future will be incomplete without energy storage solutions.
Energy storage plays an important role in balancing supply and demand, and helps to create a more
flexible and reliable electricity grid. If we want to source 100% of our electrical energy from renewables
by 2050, significant investment in energy storage is necessary. This report focuses on the financial
feasibility of investing in solar plus energy storage (lithium-ion) on the consumer side of the service
connection (behind-the-meter) for selected LT consumer categories in Tamil Nadu.
Authors:
Hari Subbish Kumar Subramanian, Auroville Consulting
Martin Scherfler, Auroville Consulting
Reviewers:
Deepak Krishnan, World Resources Institute India
Harsha Meenawat, World Resources Institute India
Naren Pasupalati, World Resources Institute India
Sandhya Sundararagavan, World Resources Institute India
Toine van Megen, Auroville Consulting
Uttara Narayanan, World Resources Institute India
Designer:
Thiagarajan Rajendiran, Auroville Consulting
Suggested Citation:
Auroville Consulting (2020). 2020 Solar Plus Energy Storage. Feasibility of
Behind-the-Meter systems for LT consumers in Tamil Nadu.
Available at:
https://www.aurovilleconsulting.com/2020-solar-plus-energy-storage-feasibility-
of-behind-the-meter-systems-for-lt-consumers-in-tamil-nadu/
FOREWORD
• TRANSITION TOWARDS GRID-
INTERACTIVE ENERGY STORAGE
Consumers have been installing behind-the-meter
(BtM) energy storage systems for several decades.
This is driven by frequent power outages across
the country. These energy storage systems,
typically uninterrupted power supply (UPS)
systems, operate in a grid-passive mode to ensure
the continuous availability of power in the event of
service interruption. In India, annually over 5 GWh
of lead-acid batteries are sold predominantly for
residential power back-up applications (KPMG,
CES 2018).
Many buildings have two electrical circuits for
their internal electricity load. One circuit for the
essential load, such as fans and lights, that can
be supplied from a battery storage system in the
case of a power outage. And a second circuit
for non-essential load for which, in case of grid
interruptions, no back-up supply is available.
The presence of grid passive BtM battery storage
systems along with the existing electrical circuits
at the building level and the declining cost of solar
PV and battery storage solutions are expected
to propel a distributed solar plus energy storage
revolution in the near future.
There are opportunities for the utilities to leverage
on these developments and prepare for the grid-
integration of these distributed energy sources
with appropriate feed-in tariffs, market design and
aggregation mechanisms.
• INCREASING
AFFORDABILITY AS DRIVER
The cost of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery has seen
a steady decline over the past years, this trend is
expected to continue for the foreseeable time. A 78%
reduction in the cost of Li-ion battery pack over the
2015 cost is expected by 2030 (Schmidt et al. 2017).
Consumers, in India particularly, are highly cost-
sensitive. With the increasing affordability, solar plus
energy storage could become a viable investment
option while providing a certain degree of energy
security and independence for the consumers.
• STORAGE READY
In March 2019, the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE) launched its Phase II of the Grid-
Connected Rooftop Solar Programme (MNRE
2019). The program aims nationwide at installing a
cumulative capacity of 4 GW rooftop solar energy
for domestic consumers by the year 2022. Capital
subsidy of up to 40% on the benchmark cost is
provided. As part of Phase II of the national program
on rooftop solar, TANGEDCO plans to add 5 MW of
rooftop solar capacity for domestic consumers.
Thereisauniquepotentialtomakethisorsubsequent
schemes ‘energy storage ready’ by accommodating
hybrid solar inverters in the benchmark cost. This
will provide the consumers with the possibility to add
energy storage capacity to their existing BtM solar
energy system without the requirement to change
the solar inverter or to invest into a separate inverter
for the energy storage system.
4. 4 52020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
KEY FINDINGS
• SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE IS
ALREADY A FINANCIALLY VIABLE OPTION
The ‘Best Economic Returns’ case for BtM solar plus energy storage, in which the solar and
energy storage capacities have been sized to achieve maximum savings through bill management,
results in lower electricity costs for both the residential slab IV consumer category and the
commercial consumer category. For the industrial consumer category, the cost under the ‘Best
Economic Returns’ case for BtM solar plus energy storage is marginally higher than the cost of
supply from grid only. The ‘Towards Net Zero’ case is resulting in a higher 10-year supply costs
for all 3 selected LT consumer categories, when compared to supply from grid only (Business as
Usual - BAU).
Discounted cost of electricity supply over 10 years
Li-ion battery pack cost has reduced significantly over the last five years. As of 2020, it is at 56%
of the 2015 cost. By 2030 the battery pack cost is further expected to drop to 22% of the 2015 cost
(Schmidt et al. 2017).
Battery Pack Cost Reduction (%) 2015 to 2030
• ‘TOWARDS NET ZERO’ WILL BE FINANCIALLY
VIABLE FOR THE COMMERCIAL CONSUMER CATEGORY
FROM 2022 ONWARDS
Financial viability of BtM solar plus energy storage
by year of investment for the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case1
1
For residential consumer category, MNRE subsidy is considered.
• COST OF LI-ION BATTERY STORAGE TO REDUCE BY
78% IN 2030 OVER THE 2015 VALUE
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 20302015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
100%
56%
22%
2020
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
INR Lakh
5. 6 72020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
ASSUMPTIONS
• Consumer category
Are defined as per the existing schedule of tariffs in
Tamil Nadu. For the domestic consumer category
only the slab IV tariff (above 500 units bi-monthly),
the highest domestic tariff slab, is simulated for
the financial feasibility analysis (TNERC 2017).
• Bill management
Bill management has been considered as the
only revenue stream for BtM solar plus energy
storage. Considering the current low net feed-
in tariff (INR 2.28 per kWh) (TNERC 2019a) for
consumer category solar energy, and the absence
of a dedicated feed-in tariff for solar plus energy
storage systems, the BtM solar plus energy
storage capacity sizing and dispatch strategy is
focused around maximizing the self-consumption
and reducing grid export. As fixed/demand
charges for all LT consumer categories in Tamil
Nadu are billed as a fixed amount per kW/month
of sanctioned load, no financial savings on load
reduction occur through BtM systems. As of 2019,
no time of day (ToD) tariffs are available for LT
consumers categories in Tamil Nadu.
• Best Economic Case
Under the ‘Best Economic’ case BtM solar
and energy storage system for the respective
consumer categories are sized to achieve
maximum financial gains through bill management
over a 10-year time period. Solar capacity has
been sized to meet the instantaneous load, during
sunshine hours. Any surplus solar energy is being
stored and dispatched whenever required. Capital
subsidy available by MNRE for domestic rooftop
solar is considered and assumed to be constant for
the financial feasibility analysis for the residential
sumer category.
01
• Toward Net Zero
Under the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case the BtM solar
plus energy storage system is sized to achieve
a Net Zero energy balance of the selected LT
consumer categories in year 1.
• Electricity consumption year 1
The year 1 electricity consumption is calculated
based on the state’s average annual consumption
per service connection point of each selected LT
consumer category using 2019 consumption data
(TNERC 2017, TNERC 2019b, Energy Department
of Tamil Nadu 2020).
• Average annual increase in electricity
consumption
This has been derived by calculating the average
annual growth rate for the respective consumer
categories from 2011 to 2019 (TNERC 2017,
Energy Department of Tamil Nadu 2011, 2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 &
2020).
• Solar energy penetration
The percentage of gross solar energy generation
on total electricity consumption in year 1.
• Battery dispatch strategy
Li-ion battery (lithium iron phosphate) is used for
energy storage in the analysis. One discharging
cycle per day was assumed. The objective was
to optimize solar energy self-consumption and
minimize grid import. The battery is charged from
the surplus solar energy only. Export from the
battery storage system to the grid has not been
considered.
• Levelised cost of solar and storage
(LCOSS)
The LCOSS value has been calculated using
the tool ‘Levelised Cost Calculator for Distributed
Energy Resources V1.0’ (Auroville Consulting
2020). LCOSS values are used for financial
analysis.
• Net feed-in tariff
Surplus solar energy exported to the grid is being
compensated at a net feed-in tariff of INR 2.28 per
kWh (TNERC 2019a). For future years the same
solar net feed-in tariff as per TNERC (2019a) has
been assumed.
• Tariff escalation
An annual consumer tariff escalation of 5% has
been assumed.
• Time period
The cost-benefit analysis was undertaken for a
10-year time period.
• Discount factor
For the net present value calculations a discount
factor of 9.53% has been used.
• Breakeven investment year
It indicates the year in which investing into BtM
solar plus energy storage results in lower electricity
costs over 10 years as compared to grid supply
only (BAU case). In the analysis for the breakeven
investment year an annual tariff escalation,
consumer load growth, resizing of solar PV (to
match the base year electricity consumption),
resizing energy storage capacity (to match the
ratio) and a reduction in the capital cost of BtM
solar plus energy storage are considered.
ASSUMPTIONS
6. 8 92020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
COMMERCIAL
CONSUMER
02
Example of a weekly dispatch in May 2020
for the ‘Best Economic Returns’ case
10-year discounted cost of electricity
• Solar Plus Energy Storage A Winning Proposition
Discounted cost savings for the ‘Best Economic Returns’ case over a 10-year time period are expected
to be INR 34,760. An investment into BtM solar plus energy storage in 2020 under the ‘Best Economic
Returns’ case therefore presents a financially viable energy sourcing option for the commercial consumer
category. Whereas for the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case the results show an increase in electricity cost over
10 years as compared to grid supply only by INR 73,653.
7. 10 112020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
10-year cost difference between BAU and
‘Towards Net Zero’ case by the year of investment
• Investing into the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case is
viable from 2022 onwards
Sensitivity analysis for different tariff escalation rates
• Future tariff escalation as key variable
With bill management as the currently single available value stream for BtM solar plus energy storage
system, future consumer tariff escalation is a key variable for its financial feasibility. As Tamil Nadu
has not seen a consumer tariff revision since 2016, a steeper tariff escalation can be expected in the
near future. With an average annual tariff escalation of 9% for the commercial consumer tariff the ‘Best
Economic Returns’ case is expected to result in 10-year cost savings of 6.90% over the BAU case and
the cost for the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case is just marginally higher than the supply from grid only.
INDUSTRIAL
CONSUMER
03
8. 12 132020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
10-year discounted cost of electricity
• Not yet a Winning Proposition
For the industrial consumer category, an investment into BtM solar plus energy storage in the year 2020
under the “Best Economic Returns’ case result in a marginally higher cost of supply (by INR 8,735) over
a 10-year time period as compared to supply from grid only. For the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case, the results
show an increase in electricity cost over 10 years by INR 1,59,608.
• Tariff escalation of 7% results in financial viability
With an average annual tariff escalation of 7% or higher deploying BtM solar plus energy storage under
the ‘best economic returns’ case results in a lower 10-year electricity supply costs for the industrial
consumer category as compared to the cost of supply from grid only (BAU case).
Sensitivity analysis for different tariff escalation rates
10-year cost difference between BAU and
‘Towards Net Zero’ case by the year of investment
• Investing into the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case is
viable from 2024 onwards
Example of a weekly dispatch in May 2020
for the ‘Best Economic Returns’ case
9. 14 152020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
RESIDENTIAL
CONSUMER
04
10-year discounted cost of electricity
• Solar Plus Storage a Winning Proposition
Under the ‘Best Economic Returns’ case, an investment into BtM solar plus energy storage in 2020 is
expected to result in discounted cost savings over a 10-year time period of INR 25,653. Whereas for the
‘Towards Net Zero’ case the results show an electricity cost increase over 10 years by INR 1,20,429. The
analysis for the domestic consumer category assumes that existing capital subsidy for rooftop solar can
be availed for the solar component of a BtM solar plus energy storage system.
Example of a weekly dispatch in May 2020
for the ‘Best Economic Returns’ case
10. 16 172020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
Sensitivity analysis for different tariff escalation rates
• Future tariff escalation scenarios
The ‘Best Economic Returns’ case is already a financially viable option for domestic slab 4 consumers.
Higher tariff escalation will further increase the consumers’ cost savings. Investing into the ‘Towards Net
Zero ‘case in the year 2020 is not expected to result in cost savings to the domestic consumer, even with
a higher tariff escalation rate of 9%.
• Lack of quality power supply
An average Indian household receives 20.6
hours of power supply from the grid (CEEW 2020).
Unreliable grid supply and power quality issues
(voltage,frequencyandharmonics)driveconsumers
towards deploying power back-up solutions such as
diesel generators and UPS systems.
• High cost of existing
back-up solutions
BtM solar plus energy storage becomes an
increasingly attractive alternative to these more
conventional back-up systems. The kWh of
electricity from diesel generators comes at a cost
range of INR 16-40 per kWh (Powerline 2018).
Diesel generators, though reliable and tested, are
not only expensive but can be noisy, take up space,
emit pollutants and have a longer response time
compared to battery storage. The recent decrease
10-year cost difference between BAU and
‘Towards Net Zero’ case by the year of investment
• Investing into the ‘Towards Net Zero’ case is
viable from 2024 onwards
THE
DRIVERS
05
in the cost of both, solar PV and Li-ion battery
storage and an increasing commitment by a larger
share of the population to shift towards sustainable
solutions is expected to result in an increased
uptake of BtM solar and energy storage systems.
• Possibility for customization
BtM solar and energy storage systems can be
customized to meet each consumers priorities
and requirements, such as bill management or
reliable supply.
11. 18 192020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
• Drivers: Reliability of supply,
bill management and resiliency
The California energy storage rebate program,
technically referred to as the Self-Generation
Incentive Program (SGIP), was established back
in 2001. Originally designed to help subsidize the
costs of distributed generation, the program was
updated in 2017 to encourage the deployment of
energy storage (Zinaman, Bowen, & Aznar, 2020).
SGIP provides an incentive as high as USD 250
per kWh for battery installation, covering the
majority of the battery costs (Energy Sage 2019).
SGIP funds have fueled a substantial share of
the more than 400 megawatts of residential and
commercial behind-the-meter batteries installed in
California as of 2020 (Green Tech Media 2020).
California contributes nearly 70% of the US’
installed Commercial & Industrial (C&I) storage.
The C&I user’s demand charges and ToD rates
can make up more than 50% of the total energy bill
in specific cases. Storing energy in batteries and
discharging them to mitigate demand peaks and
peak hours is a lucrative way of bill management
(Energy Storage News 2018a).
The recent massive wildfires in California have
caused rolling blackouts. In order to tackle this
situation, California is shifting more than USD
100 million from the SGIP budget to help low-
income communities install about 100 megawatts
of behind-the-meter battery projects. This
established a reliable supply of power during
the crisis and contributed to a more resilient grid
(Green Tech Media 2020).
• Cost-Economics
The current low solar energy net feed-in tariff of
INR 2.28 per kWh for behind the meter systems
paired with strongly subsidized electricity tariff
rates for many LT consumer categories in Tamil
Nadu results in a low or negative return on
investment for a substantial share of the state’s
electricity consumers. The economic slow-down
due to Covid-19 is also expected to result in lesser
investments in BtM solar plus energy storage
systems.
• Regulations
The current regulations for BtM solar energy
systems limit the permissible solar energy capacity
THE
BARRIERS
06
at 100% of the sanctioned load of the consumers’
service connection. With the integration of solar
and energy storage, this limitation could become
a deterrent in terms of potential BtM capacity that
can be deployed by consumers.
• Tax rates
Li-ion battery systems are currently taxed by the
Indian Government at 18% under its Goods and
Services Tax (GST) (GST Council 2018). Solar
energy systems are taxed at a GST rate of 5%.
A reduction of GST from 18% to 5% for energy
storage system may contribute to accelerating the
deployment of BtM energy storage solutions.
• Integration with
Government Schemes
The inclusion of hybrid inverters in current and
future rooftop solar schemes by MNRE has the
potential to act as a catalyst to accelerate BtM
solar and energy storage systems. All newly
installed rooftop solar system under Phase II of
MNRE’s rooftop solar program can be made
‘energy storage ready’.
• Market Design
ToD tariffs for import and export (ideally short
and high and with critical peak pricing) appear
to be a low-hanging fruit in order to propel BtM
solar plus energy storage systems. The design
of the feed-in tariff rates will need to be fair, for
both the consumers and the utilities, and reflect
the actual cost of generation. The Tamil Nadu
Solar Energy Policy 2019 already suggests the
introduction of ToD tariffs for BtM solar and energy
WAY
FORWARD
07
storage systems (TEDA 2019). The inclusion of all
consumer tariff categories (HT and LT) under the
net feed-in mechanisms will be required. Market
design for ancillary services and aggregation of
BtM solar energy and storage systems will have
to be developed by the regulators. The limitation
of solar energy capacity not exceeding the
sanctioned load can be relaxed with the addition
of battery storage system, which can propel a Net
Zero scenario.
• Forward-looking regulations
Existing BtM solar and storage systems in India,
are neither expected nor required to meaningfully
interact with the electricity grid. Forward-looking
regulations and standardized communication and
control protocols will be required to leverage grid-
services that can be provided by such systems.
Developing such regulations proactively will
create a much-needed enabling environment for
BtM solar plus energy storage systems to take off.
• CASE STUDY 1
Self-Generation Incentive Program, California
SGIP have funded 400 MW of commercial
& residential BtM storage as of 2020
Photo credit: (ARENA 2020)
12. 20 212020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
• Driver - Reliability of supply,
low net feed-in tariff and grid
stability incentive
By the end of 2019, there were about 2,06,000
energy storage systems in homes throughout
Germany, about 65,000 new residential battery
solutions were installed in 2019 alone.
Sonnen GmbH contributed 20% of all residential
battery systems deployed in 2019. (Renewable
Energy World 2020). They have introduced a
new community energy exchange program which
comes with a EUR 19.90 monthly service fee and
allows Sonnen customers across the country to
share energy and thus potentially cut electricity
costs by around 25 percent compared to standard
utility rates.
During sunny days, when there is surplus solar
energy generation, instead of selling solar energy
to the utility, the surplus solar energy supplied
a virtual energy pool that serves other Sonnen
customers. For every kWh that is shared with
this energy community, the consumer receives
a financial compensation that is higher than the
compensation offered by the utility. The price paid
by the consumer when the community power is
used is far less than the market price (Sonnen
2020).
This community-based model not only allows
about 75% self-consumption by the customer,
but it also offers 100% independence from
conventional suppliers. The batteries are
connected forming a virtual battery pool. Having
a big virtual storage, they can offer services to the
grid operators. The combined usage of storage for
both self-consumption and grid services increases
the value for the customer as it creates multiple
revenue streams (Energy Storage News 2017).
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2020)
• CASE STUDY 2
Community Based Model, Germany
The batteries are connected
forming a virtual pool, this can be used for
both self-consumption and for grid services
Photo credit: (PV Magazine 2018)
13. 22 232020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
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14. 24 252020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
ANNEXURE 1:
Assumptions
• Commercial Consumer (Best Economic Returns and Towards Net Zero)
Solar PV System capital cost (w/o solar PCU cost) INR/kW 41,500
Hybrid inverter capital in base year INR/kW 24,000
Battery pack capital cost in base year INR/kWh 17,000
Cost for storage container and others INR/kW 5,500
EPC cost INR/kW 1,200
No. of full battery discharge cycles 4,000
No. of partial battery cycles (Best Economic Return) 5,000
No. of full/partial battery cycles (Towards Net Zero) 4,000
Service connection fixed charge (Bi-monthly) INR/kW 140
• Industrial Consumer (Best Economic Returns and Towards Net Zero)
Solar PV System capital cost (w/o solar PCU cost) INR/kW 41,500
Hybrid inverter capital cost in base year INR/kW 24,000
Battery pack capital cost in base year INR/kWh 17,000
Cost for storage container and others INR/kW 5,500
EPC cost INR/kW 1,200
No. of full battery discharge cycles 4,000
No. of partial battery cycles (Best Economic Return) 5,300
No. of full/partial battery cycles (Towards Net Zero) 4,000
Service connection fixed charge (Bi-monthly) INR/kW 70
• Residential Consumer (Best Economic Returns – Capital subsidy of 40%
for capacity up to 3 kWp)
Solar PV System capital cost (w/o solar PCU cost) INR/kW 25,200
Hybrid inverter capital cost in base year INR/kW 24,000
Battery pack capital cost in base year INR/kWh 20,000
Cost for storage container and others INR/kW 5,500
EPC cost INR/kW 1,200
No. of full battery discharge cycles 4,000
No. of partial battery cycles (Best Economic Return) 5,300
Service connection fixed charge (Bi-monthly) INR/Service 50
• Residential (Towards Net Zero – Capital subsidy of 40% for capacity up to
3 kWp and 20% for capacity beyond 3 kWp and up to 10 kWp)
Solar PV System capital cost (w/o solar PCU cost) INR/kW 29,238
Hybrid inverter capital cost in base year INR/kW 24,000
Battery pack capital cost in base year INR/kWh 20,000
Cost for storage container and others INR/kW 5,300
EPC cost INR/kW 1,200
No. of full battery discharge cycles 4,000
No. of full/partial battery cycles (Towards Net Zero) 3,600
Service connection fixed charge (Bi-monthly) INR/Service 50
15. 26 272020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE 2020 SOLAR PLUS ENERGY STORAGE
Li-ion cost improvement curve (%) Inverter Cost Improvement Curve (%)
Solar PV Cost Improvement Curve(%)