AES India, a unit of The AES Corp., and Mitsubishi Corp. started construction on India’s first utility-scale energy storage system, a 10 MW solution that will serve the electric grid operated by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL).
AES and Mitsubishi will own the Advancion storage solution, which is being supplied by Fluence. The solution is being deployed in Rohini, Delhi at a substation operated by Tata Power-DDL. Once completed later this year, the 10 MW solution will enable better peak load management, add system flexibility, and enhance reliability for more than 7 million customers in the Delhi region.
Fluence, an energy storage technology and services company owned by Siemens and AES, will supply its Advancion technology platform for the project. Tata Power-DDL and its customers will benefit from Fluence’s proven and industrial-strength storage technology, which was designed for long-term dependability. Fluence brings more than a decade of grid-scale battery-based energy storage experience to the project, with nearly 500 MW deployed or awarded across 15 countries.
“AES has always been an innovative company, providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to the markets we serve. The deployment of cutting-edge energy storage technology in India shows the commitment we have to the country. Adding Fluence’s Advancion energy storage solution will allow us to continue to contribute to the modernization and enhancement of the electricity system in India,” said Mark Green, President of AES’ Eurasia Strategic Business Unit.
“Tata Power-DDL has introduced several firsts in the distribution sector and implemented various smart grid technologies. We are privileged to implement India’s first utility-scale storage solution in collaboration with AES and Mitsubishi Corporation. The first of its kind system will help to create a business case for the deployment of storage in India, to address challenges in the areas of peak load management, system flexibility, frequency regulation and reliability on the network. This project will provide a platform to demonstrate energy storage as a critical distribution asset and help to balance distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar,” said Mr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Power-DDL.
India’s renewable energy sector is experiencing remarkable growth and India recently expanded its renewable energy target to 175 gigawatts of solar and wind generation by 2022. Deploying energy storage will help network operators mitigate solar and wind resources’ variability and reduce congestion on the region’s transmission system, delivering more affordable, clean energy and enabling new sources of revenue from frequency regulation and other grid services.
“We are happy to have the opportunity to work alongside Tata Power-DDL and AES in launching this emerging and critical technology in India. Together with our partners, we look forward to demonstrating different applications in which battery-based energy storage can add value for both the power grid and the people of India,” said Tsunehiro Makabe, General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Environmental Energy Business Department.
“The Fluence team has delivered the first grid-scale battery-based energy storage systems in ten countries over the last decade, and we are proud to continue that trend in India in partnership with AES, Mitsubishi Corporation and Tata Power-DDL,” said Stephen Coughlin, CEO of Fluence. “With our Advancion platform, Tata Power-DDL will be adding a valuable new resource for flexibility, reliability and efficiency in its system.”
The deployment of its first grid-scale energy storage represents the latest step forward in modernizing India’s power system and improving grid efficiency. AES, Mitsubishi Corporation, Tata Power-DDL and Fluence look forward to demonstrating the benefits of battery-based energy storage to India and its government with this groundbreaking project.
