India energy firms advance renewable reliability with new solar and storage deals

Major Indian energy players are advancing renewable energy reliability through new power purchase agreements (PPAs) focused on dispatchable power.

NTPC Ltd has signed a 25-year PPA with US-based 247Solar for a hybrid project at Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan. The approximately 1 MW project will utilize 247Solar’s modular solar thermal technology, which combines concentrated solar power, thermal energy storage, and a proprietary turbine to provide electricity around the clock. The initiative aims to test if solar thermal can reduce reliance on coal by addressing the intermittency of solar PV.

Separately, ACME Solar, through its subsidiary ACME Greentech Twenty Pvt Ltd, has signed an agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for 300 MW/1,200 MWh of assured peak power. The project will utilize a combination of solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) to supply power during non-solar hours at a tariff of approximately $0.063/kWh.