India Will Be Home to World's First Ever Thermal Battery Plant Forget fossil fuel-based energy, thermal battery is the new way forward

With the scope of carbon footprint reduction thinning, owing to technology becoming people's need, looking for other measures of energy conservation had been the only way out of the dire situation for years.

Amidst the governments, both centre and states, working on renewable sources and other technologies to store energy, Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST) have come up with the thermal battery plant to provide energy solutions for electrical grids, transport and telecom services to people.

While the concept of thermal energy is not new, the idea of thermal battery was an unexplored territory for renewable energy until the very day. World's first-ever thermal battery plant was unveiled in Andhra Pradesh by the state's Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday in Amaravati.

Thermal Energy

Being the largest source of energy in India, Thermal energy has been contributing almost 71% of electricity, 85% of which is coal-based. However, gas and diesel are also among the key sources of thermal energy production.

Creation of Jobs

The inaugurated plant will manufacture an energy storage device for storing renewable energy for various purposes and thereby reducing carbon emissions. With the aim of setting up a Greenfield Project in India, BEST plans to commence its commercial operations by May 2019.

With an investment of Rs 660 crores, the facility can possibly create 3,000 jobs within three years and operate at the capacity of 1,000 megawatts which is expected to be increased to 10 gigawatts by 2025.

Many Issues, One Solution

Not only will the thermal battery plant manufacture batteries for commercial applications but also help in solving power issues for the remote areas if a heat source is available to drive operations. While the technology's main application lies in the possible integration with power grids, telecom infrastructure is another key area.

The technology can help the telecom companies in maintain signal strength and network connectivity while improving internet penetration and mobile services speed. The batteries can also be used to support public transport systems and further to address the rising energy requirements from regional or national grids.

A Push for E-vehicle Growth in India?

Among countless possibilities, the prospect of e-vehicle manufacturing couldn't be neglected. The thermal batteries will reduce dependence on fossil fuel resources for energy and benefit the power-intensive industries altogether.

The thermal battery manufactured by the Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST) aims to boost renewable sources of energy production and reduce dependence on non-renewable fossil fuel-based energy generation.

Thermal batteries use the energy created by temperature differences for operation. The energy transfer in thermal batteries helps store heat when it travels from one part of the battery setup to the other. The technology was patented in India by Dr Patrick Glynn in 2016.

Edited by Armaan Joshi