- Article
Hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture, solar and wind energy – the energy transition in India is progressing at full speed with many cooks in the kitchen. As the generation from renewable energy sources grows, a game-changer is required to achieve the decarbonization of the Indian power system.
That game changer is Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES): Sumitomo SHI FW’s Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) solution is an LDES technology which can help India achieve its net zero targets much faster. This was among the main messages of SFW’s Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) seminar in New Delhi on the 14th of June.
The company’s Energy Storage team was happy to welcome close to 70 key representatives from the Indian energy industry to the event and offer some insights into how the LAES solution could help the country overcome some of its key challenges on the path to net zero.
LAES is a crucial link in the Net Zero Energy Ecosystem between different renewable energy sources and the power grid
"The global energy storage market is estimated to grow by 13,3 % each year. Meanwhile, the electrical load demand in India has been growing by almost 5 % annually due to increasing industrial activity and rising standards of living. LDES will be a necessity to reach net zero in power systems, and technologies such as LAES can contribute to the stability of the power grid while enabling better utilization of renewable energy sources. We want to work together with India to build the optimal path to net zero", continued SFW’s Director Market Development Jan Andersson, as he set the stage for the Energy Storage team’s presentations.
The seminar sparked an active debate throughout the day and many new insights from the audience. One of the seminar participants, Neha Deswal, Senior Manager Strategy and Markets for ReNew Power Private Limited, saw that the event gave her more than what she had anticipated."For me, the highlights of the seminar included setting the context right regarding Long Duration Energy Storage in general. I appreciated hearing about the proposition and value of LAES as well as where and how exactly it can be used", Deswal said.
She also viewed that the seminar helped identify the main challenges of the energy industry and see where it is now regarding decarbonization solutions.
"The seminar facilitated a proper cross-industry discussion. It was interesting to hear representatives from different companies and organizations introduce themselves and get to know who is who. I came to the seminar to hear about limited use cases, but I got so much more, as the presentations went from the big picture to the details of the LAES technology. Instead of a one-sided view, I got a lot of information on the concrete advantages of LAES", she said.
Research Analyst Vibhuti Chandhok joined the seminar from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi, where she works to assess the role of technological innovations in the supply chain and the manufacturing of low-carbon technologies. With her colleagues, she researches various energy storage solutions and alternatives for existing technologies, which made the LAES seminar thought-provoking and informative for her.
It is always good to come across promising technologies which can help strengthen the renewable energy supply chain. LAES technology seems quite robust and promising, and when scaled up, I hope it helps India achieve its net zero targets in the near future. The seminar proved beneficial, as it provided us with valuable knowledge regarding the lesser-explored aspects of LAES that piqued our interest. The seminar fostered a productive cross-industry dialogue. Rather than a biased viewpoint, I gained valuable insights into the tangible benefits of LAES
Bharath R, Chief Manager from Siemens Energy, joined the seminar to hear the customers’ comments and views of the LAES technology.
"Our Research and Development team participated in the seminar to hear more details about the LAES prototype plants; what has gone well and improvement areas. The seminar was great for us, as we learnt about the uncharted territories regarding LAES", he said.
The message many took away from the seminar is that the LAES solution is giving the green light to the decarbonized future of India.
"We are all in the same boat regarding the sustainable energy future. We don’t know what it is going to be, but looking at the market and all the uncertainty, LAES is a safe bet for its flexibility", Deswal concluded.
"We now have a potential solution, LAES, for changing the grid green and the knowledge that there is no need to rely only on batteries; the LAES system has a good lifetime, it is dependable and can be localized", said Chandhok.
"The message we are taking back to Siemens Energy is that our turbines play a critical for the decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gases and is a crucial part of the LAES system", added Bharath.
SFW’s business partner in India and co-organizer of the seminar, engineering solution company ISGEC Heavy Engineering Ltd., saw the event as a start of a wider LAES breakthrough in India.
The seminar day offered us a wide spectrum of thought-provoking questions and answers that benefit both ISGEC, SFW and the Indian energy sector participants. I am looking forward to all of the additional information we can expect on LAES in the future, such as comparisons with competing solutions as well as data on the technology’s CAPEX, OPEX and life cycle costs, which I believe will be the final ice breakers as the technology enters the Indian market
We send out our warmest thank you to our partners in organizing the event and to everyone who joined the seminar with us. We look forward to being a part of India’s road towards net zero through our LAES solution!
Want to know more about SFW’s Liquid Air Energy Storage solution? Don’t hesitate to contact our LAES experts via our Contact form!