NTPC invites bids for sodium-ion battery pilot in India

State-owned power utility NTPC has started accepting expressions of interest (EoI) for the development and installation of a grid-connected battery energy storage system (BESS) using sodium-ion battery technology at existing NTPC thermal power stations and office buildings.

The pilot is intended to assess the technical performance, safety, reliability, degradation, operational characteristics, and techno-commercial viability of sodium-ion batteries under Indian grid and climatic conditions. The experience gained from the pilot will be used to evaluate the suitability of sodium-ion technology for potential larger-scale deployment in the future.

As part of the NTPC sodium-ion battery pilot, applicants have been asked to provide technical and techno-commercial details for two pilot configurations:

• Option 1: A pilot BESS with 100 kWh of usable energy capacity, providing a common basis for comparison of the proposed technologies.
• Option 2: A pilot BESS with a capacity proposed by the applicant, based on a standard configuration and a scale considered appropriate for demonstrating the proposed technology.

For proposals involving technologies at Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4), which means validation in a laboratory setup, and TRL 5, which means model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment, the participating party must contribute at least 50% of the total project cost.

For technologies at TRL 6, meaning prototype demonstration in an industrial environment, and above, no minimum financial contribution will be required.

The capacity of the pilot plant and the mode of execution will be finalized based on the evaluation of the proposed technology and its TRL.

NTPC will provide land for the installation and commissioning of the BESS within its premises, as well as the necessary support during the operation and maintenance of the pilot project.

From pv magazine India