BENGALURU: Energy Minister K J George on Friday said the government is working on setting up battery storage systems in Pavagada Solar Park so that the power generated can be supplied on a daily basis during peak hours using the existing infrastructure. This will ensure that there are no power cuts and the rising demand is met.
He said earlier Karnataka ranked number one in solar power generation, but now it ranks third after Gujarat and Rajasthan. Though work is on to increase the solar power generation in Pavagada to 2,000 MW, utilisation of the solar power generated is also essential. To address this, 2,000 MW batteries will be set up at Pavagada.
He was speaking during the inauguration of a day-long electric vehicle (EV) mela for government employees in Vidhana Soudha. The mela was organised by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (Bescom). Around 15 manufacturers and distributors put up stalls, along with two banking firms offering various financial schemes to government employees to purchase EVs.
George said around 65-67% power generated in Karnataka is from renewable sources, but it is not well utilised. The government is now working on storing power through various means. Pertaining to EVs, he said annually over a lakh EVs are being registered in the state. Now work on strengthening the charging network is being undertaken.
A senior official told The New Indian Express that all projects being undertaken now are long-term works. Companies to install the batteries are being finalised and it will cost around Rs one crore for a MW of power generation and storage. This is still cheaper than setting up a new thermal power plant, the official said.
The department has also called for tenders to set up one-gigawatt-per-hour capacity batteries at seven KPTCL sub-stations. They will be realised in another three to four months, the official said.