Since 2015, India, the world's third-largest carbon-emission nation, has formulated various green-energy plans for intensive development of renewable energy. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), for instance, decided recently to build the world's largest combo PV-wind power plant spanning 1,000 acres of land with total capacity of 160 MW, in Anantapur of Andhra Pradesh, in southeastern India.
The project will be executed by Indian PV energy firms SECI, APSPCL, NREDCAP, and AP Transco jointly, costing 100 billion rupees (NT$46.6 billion), including US$155 million (NT$4.6 billion) to be provided by World Bank.
The plant will have 120 MW PV power capacity and 40 MW onshore wind power capacity, plus 40 MW energy storage system.
In line with Paris Agreement, World Bank has announced not to fund oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation after 2019 and funded a 750 MW PV power plant in India early this year.
Power storage for stable supply
The projected plant will be furnished with a major energy storage system, in order to stabilize power supply and prevent effect of power-supply disruption on grip. In Andhra Pradesh, wind and PV power capacity now hits 2 GW. Several months ago, output of such renewable energy plunged to 70 MW in one day, causing malfunction of grid. The energy storage system, if successful, will be promoted in other areas.
By 2022, Andhra Pradesh is expected to generate 10 GW PV power and 8 GW wind power, including 3 GW from combo PV-wind power plants.
(First photo courtesy of Pixabay CCO)