India has made great strides in building a domestic PV supply chain. Do you also see this happening in the energy storage sector?
JT: India’s domestic industry has made very impressive investments in manufacturing facilities, technology transfer and business partnerships. The government has encouraged investment in solar energy through production-related incentives and basic customs duties, and many financial incentives have been extended by banks and private equity to increase the number of manufacturing facilities in India.
Based on the approved list of models and manufacturers that companies must be on to deliver projects related to government tenders, there are now more than 90 companies manufacturing PV modules in India.
Similar movements are taking shape in the battery field. The same PLI has been activated in the battery storage segment, also with a focus on creating opportunities to build local projects. India is moving towards the same strategy being pursued in solar energy, namely creating a domestic ecosystem for battery systems.
And do the plans for battery production extend all the way up the supply chain, to cells and even raw material components?
The EV battery itself is a very new segment for India. The aim is to establish a robust domestic supply chain for mobility solutions and energy storage solutions to reduce import dependence.
Currently, India imports heavily from South Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan, but if you look at the latest budget, the government of India is proposing a crucial minerals mission. It is an initiative aimed at securing the supply of essential minerals that are essential for technological progress and the transition to a green economy.
This mission includes identifying materials related to renewable energy, electric mobility and other hi-tech industries. India has already activated this crucial mineral mission and is looking for partnerships in India and abroad. Efforts are being made to boost domestic production of minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth metals. TThe Ministry of Mines and Geological Survey of India is working on some initiatives related to lithium to see what is available in India and other nearby countries, and is also looking at partnerships with Australia, Chile and other mineral-rich countries to secure supplies set. .
It will take time, but there is also an opportunity to create domestic availability of some of these chemicals. About 5.9 million tonnes of lithium has been identified in Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India.
On the demand side, how do you see the battery boom developing in India?
The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is the next important phase in India’s energy transition. It is a necessity to make this change because in certain cities air pollution has become a major health hazard and people are suffering from it.
India also remains one of the world’s largest importers of crude oil, and we need to reduce that dependence and the associated pressure on national finances. We have enough sun and wind and we must make optimal use of them.
Fortunately, we see the transition to electric cars happening very quickly. Certain states and cities are converting entire public transportation systems to run on electric vehicles. India has over 2.8 million electric vehicles on the roads and is expected to grow in large numbers.
The demand for batteries, and in particular advanced battery technologies, is expected to grow significantly. On the EV side, battery weight and cost are still a limiting factor, but we see this being quickly addressed by researchers and industry.
Stationary storage also plays an important role as India looks to integrate more renewable energy sources. How do you see this market developing?
India’s commitment to increasing the share of renewable energy requires the adoption of energy storage to accommodate variability in generation. Recently, India has focused heavily on distributed rooftop solar. And commercial projects increasingly include energy storage to create a complete energy solution. This demand comes from multiple sectors, many of which are themselves growing rapidly. Whether it concerns consumer electronics, pharmaceutical industry, cold storage, construction, mining and other heavy industries. These are all turning to distributed solar and energy storage to power their operations.
There is also a lot of large-scale solar and wind energy in India. Do you see storage coming into this space, as well as distributed PV?
It is certainly part of India’s plans. At the utility scale, approximately 160 GW of energy storage is in various planning stages, and this will be critical to maintaining grid stability across the country.
Batteries are increasingly used for grid stability and to manage peak load demand. The government has understood the need for battery technology and is trying to integrate storage along with renewable energy in many new projects. Energy storage delivers major benefits to the electricity grid and is well on its way to becoming a mainstream technology.
Is this why you once again chose to place the battery show next to REI? How big do you expect the event to be this year?
We are organizing a show focused on renewable energy (Renewable Energy India Expo), and another focused on e-mobility (The Battery Show India), with energy storage featured in both. It’s two birds with one stone and visitors will see how one sector complements the other.
For example, the Indian Prime Minister recently announced a scheme (Prime Minister Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana) for residential rooftop PV, which will be supplied to 10 million users, and today the industry is not just focusing on power generation. Energy storage is part of the power generation package delivered to the customer. India has so many small towns, villages and rural areas that struggle with reliable electricity supply. Residential solar and energy storage can play a major role in the solution for these regions, providing a huge opportunity for the battery industry to grow in India.
India has also announced major plans for green hydrogen production. How does this fit into the renewable energy and energy storage space?
India’s green hydrogen ambition is really gaining momentum, with all of the country’s largest companies getting involved. Hydrogen storage is a key element and I hope some of our exhibitors will show solutions for this. Together with energy storage, this is a key element for India’s energy transition, and I hope to see the two industries become even more intertwined at The Battery Show India.
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