EPAL, a joint venture of state-run Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and UK-based EnergyPro Limited (EP) has partnered with Leclanché, a leading battery storage solution provider and will invest Rs 78 crores in a battery storage project in Ontario, Canada, a joint press statement said.“It has been our constant endeavor to make future-ready technology solutions accessible. With a focus on long, low-carbon initiatives globally, we have partnered with the world’s leading battery storage solution provider,” Saurabh Kumar, managing director, EESL, said in a statement on Thursday.EESL EnergyPro Assets Limited (EPAL), will invest in the storage project known as Basin 1 and 2, which is almost nearing completion.The project, built and owned by Leclanché and development partner Deltro Energy, is the first utility scale energy storage facility designed to balance the Ontario power grid , with a total investment of approximately INR 162.5 crores.“The partnership has strategic importance from India’s perspective as its government has set a target of achieving 175GW of renewable energy by the year 2022,” the statement read.This investment in battery storage system comes as a part of government’s efforts to push renewable energy in India “The Indian government recently launched an ambitious investment programme in new energy, both domestically and overseas, of which the investment in the Leclanché and Deltro Project forms a part,” the statement added.The battery storage project will provide services to the independent energy systems operator (IESO) that oversees and manages the power grid of the province of Ontario, and is interconnected to Toronto Hydro, the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada.Anil Srivastava, Leclanché CEO said, “We are exploring many additional ways to integrate Leclanché’s advanced lithium battery solutions into stationary storage systems as well as new mobility applications such as EV charging stations, full-electric buses and urban transportation systems.”In May this year, the Indian government announced that it would invest Rs 132 crores in clean energy initiatives in the UK’s public and private sectors through EPAL. To date, EPAL’s UK initiatives include an affordable LED lighting scheme (UJALA), targeted at social housing associations in London, and the acquisition of two energy savings companies serving seven clients in education and leisure.The government has mandated that by 2030 all vehicles on its roads will be electric – the most aggressive such target in the world. Battery storage helps stabilise grids, which is a challenge as they become increasingly dependent on intermittent renewable energy sources. Storage also reduces the operational costs of grids and defers and reduces future infrastructure costs.

Source: Economic Times November 09, 2017 15:40 UTC