Solar Energy in India
The Grid Challenge: Storage and Transmission
Solar produces power only in the daytime, so India needs batteries, pumped storage and more transmission lines to use it fully.
Generating is easier than integrating.
Duck curve
Solar floods the grid at midday, but demand peaks in the evening.
Storage
Batteries and pumped hydro can shift energy to evening hours.
Transmission
Sunny regions need long lines to carry power to demand centres, and delays cause curtailment.
Auctions for storage
India has started auctioning solar plus storage projects.
Wasted sunshine
When lines are full, solar plants are told to reduce output.
Assuming more panels solve everything
The grid must keep up.
Key takeaways
- Solar is intermittent.
- Storage shifts supply.
- Transmission delays cause curtailment.
- Solar plus storage is emerging.
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