New Delhi: India could see strong growth in sodium-ion battery technology over the next few years as research in the field reaches advanced stages, Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on Friday, ANI reported.
Sarangi said some researchers have taken sodium-ion battery technology to Technology Readiness Level 7 or higher, bringing it closer to commercial use. He said technologies at this stage could move from pilot projects to commercial production within two to three years.
“A lot of research is going on in this area. In sodium-ion batteries, there are researchers who have reached a TRL of 7 and above,” Sarangi said on the sidelines of the BNEF Summit.
Technology Readiness Level is a scale used to measure how close a technology is to commercial use. TRL 7 means a working prototype has been demonstrated in an actual operating environment.
Sarangi said alternative battery technologies would become increasingly important as India expands energy storage to support the growing use of renewable energy.
On vanadium flow batteries, he said Indian manufacturers were building the capacity needed to meet demand. Higher production volumes could also help reduce costs.
He said NTPC Green Energy Ltd has placed an order for 100 MW of vanadium flow batteries, while domestic manufacturers are working to supply the capacity.
“As demand grows and volumes increase, we expect vanadium flow battery prices to fall, and that will be a game changer in the future,” Sarangi said.
India on track to expand energy storage
Sarangi said the Central Electricity Authority estimates that India will need around 411 GWh of energy storage by 2031-32. He said the country is progressing well and could reach that level ahead of schedule.
Current storage capacity remains lower, but a large amount of battery storage is already being developed through tenders and orders.
Around 156 GWh of battery energy storage systems are currently under development or implementation, Sarangi said.
On battery recycling, he said the government is addressing the issue under the existing e-waste rules and would introduce further details if required.
New push for polysilicon manufacturing
Sarangi also said the government is working on a new scheme to support domestic polysilicon manufacturing.
He said the earlier Production Linked Incentive scheme covered polysilicon, wafers, solar cells and modules, but the capacity expected under that programme would not be enough to meet India’s requirements.
The government is therefore considering a separate scheme to support larger-scale polysilicon production, he said.
India could target at least 30 GW of polysilicon manufacturing capacity by 2030 to strengthen energy security and make the domestic renewable energy manufacturing sector more resilient.
“To ensure India’s energy security and ensure that India’s manufacturing resilience is maintained, a capacity of 30 gigawatts and above should be good for the Indian context,” Sarangi said, according to ANI.
