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					</table><p>The Asian Development Bank (<a href="https://www.adb.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ADB</a>) has approved a $148.5 million loan to enhance, upgrade, and climate-proof the electricity distribution system in Sikkim and improve the power supply&#8217;s reliability, quality, and resilience.</p>
<p>The project aims to improve the livelihoods of at least 1,100 women, including self-help groups, producer groups, and individual businesses, through the installation of customized renewable energy systems and vocational skills training.</p>
<p>It will deploy solar energy systems and energy-efficient equipment in 24 primary healthcare sub-centers, enhancing rural healthcare facilities&#8217; capacity to provide inpatient treatments, especially during winter.</p>
<p>&#8220;This project fully aligns with Sikkim&#8217;s Power for All initiative, guaranteeing uninterrupted, high-quality electricity access around the clock for households, industries, businesses, and the public. Moreover, it complements the Government of India&#8217;s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme by bolstering the distribution network, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and financial viability of the distribution sector in the state,&#8221; stated ADB Principal Energy Specialist Jaimes Kolantharaj.</p>
<p>ADB said the project will support the efficient transfer and integration of renewable energy into the distribution system and improve electricity access in rural areas and businesses, thereby boosting economic opportunities, ensuring productivity, and improving living standards.</p>
<p>The initiative is expected to modernize Sikkim&#8217;s power distribution system by installing approximately 770 kilometers of climate-resilient medium-voltage underground and/or covered conductors.</p>
<p>Additionally, 580 kilometers of outdated and low-capacity bare conductors will be replaced to increase network capacity.</p>
<p>The project also involves upgrading 26 power substations with a supervisory control and data acquisition system, installing 15,000 units of public street lighting in remote areas, and conducting electricity conservation and safety awareness programs in 28 villages.</p>
<p>ADB will support the development of a financial sustainability strategy and a plan to establish Sikkim&#8217;s Power Department (PDS) as an independent entity to enhance the sector&#8217;s financial stability.</p>
<p>It will assist PDS in creating a power distribution master plan, integrating geographic information systems and distribution system modeling, and establishing a real-time monitoring control center for improved power management.</p>
<p>ADB recently <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/adb-%E2%82%B912-5-billion-currency-bond-finance-green-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> ₹12.5 billion (~$150 million) through green bonds.</p>
<p>ADB has also financed several of India&#8217;s clean energy projects in the past. Last December, it <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/adb-200-million-loan-enhance-power-efficiency-uttarakhand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loaned</a> $200 million to enhance Uttarakhand&#8217;s electricity supply and enable the state&#8217;s transition to clean energy sources.</p>
<p>It also <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/adb-approves-250-million-loan-indias-power-sector" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> a loan of $250 million to strengthen India&#8217;s power sector. The funds would be used to enhance the financial performance of electricity distribution companies and enable an environment conducive to private sector investment.</p>


ADB Approves $148 Million Loan for Modernization of Sikkim’s Power Distribution


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					</table><p>A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.gatech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia Institute of Technology</a> has taken a novel approach, utilizing aluminum foil to create solid-state batteries with increased energy density and stability compared to the widely used lithium-ion technology.</p>
<p>Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries utilize solid materials as the electrolyte, eliminating the flammable liquid electrolyte and significantly reducing the risk of fires.</p>
<p>Furthermore, solid-state batteries allow for integrating new high-performance active materials, paving the way for innovative battery designs.</p>
<p>The early attempts to use aluminum as a battery material failed due to the rapid fracturing and failure of pure aluminum foils in conventional lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>The team led by Matthew McDowell at Georgia Tech revisited this concept, realizing that aluminum could offer significant advantages as the anode material in solid-state batteries.</p>
<p><strong>Creating Aluminum Foil Anodes with &#8220;Microstructures&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>The research team took a different approach to address the challenges associated with using pure aluminum foils.</p>
<p>They incorporated small amounts of other materials to create aluminum foils with specific &#8220;microstructures&#8221; – unique arrangements of different materials. The team conducted tests with over 100 different materials to identify the most promising combinations for battery applications.</p>
<p>The team said the aluminum foil anodes exhibited exceptional performance and stability in solid-state batteries, surpassing the limitations of conventional lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>The aluminum anodes could store more lithium, leading to higher energy density and potentially longer driving ranges for electric vehicles on a single charge. Moreover, using aluminum foils directly as battery components streamlines the manufacturing process, making it more cost-effective.</p>
<p>The implications of this breakthrough extend beyond electric vehicles. Short-range electric aircraft, a growing area of interest, face limitations due to battery capacity.</p>
<p>The aluminum foil anodes present an opportunity to develop more powerful battery technologies enabling electric aircraft to cover longer distances efficiently.</p>
<p>The team at Georgia Tech, in collaboration with <a href="https://www.novelis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Novelis</a>, is continuing its research to scale up the size of the batteries and understand how size influences the behavior of aluminum foils.</p>
<p>Additionally, they are exploring other materials and microstructures to create even more cost-effective foils for battery systems.</p>
<p>As the industry moves toward long-range vehicles and electric aircraft, researchers are pushing the boundaries of lithium-ion and searching for alternatives that offer higher energy density, improved stability, and enhanced safety.</p>
<p>The researchers at the institute said the emergence of solid-state batteries has been a game-changer in pursuing safer and more efficient energy storage.</p>
<p>Recently, a group of researchers from the University of Ulm and the University of Freiburg <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-method-boost-storage-aluminum-ion-batteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a positive electrode material made of an organic redox polymer based on phenothiazine for aluminum-ion batteries to help enhance its storage capacity.</p>
<p>In a similar study, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/aluminium-sulfur-batteries-outperform-lithium-ion-mit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a new battery made from aluminum and sulfur, two of the nature-abundant and cost-friendly materials.</p>
<p>Image Credit: Georgia Institute of Technology</p>


Aluminum Anodes Show Promise for Safer, Cheaper, and More Powerful Batteries


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					</table><p>Researchers from Helmholtz Institute Ulm (<a href="https://hiu-batteries.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIU</a>) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.kit.edu/english/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KIT</a>) have devised a low-cost and eco-friendly lithium recycling technique to recover up to 70% of lithium from battery waste without the use of harsh chemicals, high temperatures, or pre-sorting of materials.</p>
<p>Currently, battery waste recycling primarily focuses on recovering nickel, cobalt, copper, aluminum, and steel, with lithium recovery remaining expensive and unprofitable.</p>
<p>Traditional metallurgical processes used for lithium recovery are energy-intensive and generate harmful by-products.</p>
<p>Researchers found that mechanochemical approaches that utilize mechanical processes to trigger chemical reactions offer a more sustainable and efficient solution, promising higher yields with less energy consumption and minimal environmental impact.</p>
<p>In collaboration with the University of Ulm, the Helmholtz Institute Ulm for Electrochemical Energy Storage (HIU), and EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, the Institute for Applied Materials &#8211; Energy Storage Systems (IAM-ESS) at KIT have developed the lithium recovery method without using corrosive chemicals, high temperatures, or pre-sorting of materials.</p>
<p>The results of this study are published in the journal Nature Communications Chemistry.</p>
<p>The researchers&#8217; process utilizes aluminum as a reducing agent in a mechanochemical reaction, obviating the need for additional substances since aluminum is already present in the cathode.</p>
<p>The battery waste is first ground into a fine powder, and then the powder is reacted with aluminum to create metallic composites that contain water-soluble lithium compounds.</p>
<p>Next, lithium is recovered by dissolving the water-soluble compounds in water and heating to remove the water through evaporation. The mechanochemical reaction occurs at ambient temperature and pressure, making the process highly energy efficient.</p>
<p>The researchers said the method&#8217;s simplicity also makes it suitable for large-scale industrial applications, which will be necessary given the high volume of batteries that will need to be recycled in the future.</p>
<p>Oleksandr Dolotko, the study&#8217;s lead author and a researcher at the IAM-ESS and HIU, highlights that the process can recover lithium from cathode materials with different chemical compositions, making it suitable for various commercially available lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>Dolotko further adds that the method enables cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly recycling.</p>
<p>Lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, powering everything from smartphones and remote controls to electric vehicles. However, their widespread use and the lack of availability of raw materials used to develop them have created a need for sustainable and economically viable recycling methods.</p>
<p>Interestingly, lithium carbonate prices have <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/lithium-price-drop-hopes-evs-affordable-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen</a> a considerable drop over the last couple of months, raising hopes among industry stakeholders that affordable electric vehicles (EVs) would attract more customers to the segment.</p>
<p>Recently, a latest Berkeley Lab study <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/lithium-find-energy-independence-by-2047" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> India’s edge in renewable generation and the recent discovery of vast lithium reserves, along with deep cost reductions in clean technology, can enable a pathway for cost-effective energy independence by 2047.</p>


Innovative Recycling Process Recovers 70% of Lithium from Spent Batteries

<p>Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (<a href="https://www.bsnl.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BSNL</a>) has floated a tender to supply Giga Passive Optical Network (GPON) equipment, Energy Monitoring System (EMS), and solar power equipment with valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. The equipment has to have a year warranty and seven years of annual maintenance contract.</p>
<p>The primary objective of the tender is to set up the GPON-based internet connectivity network under a national optical fiber network (NOFN) project. The scope of work also includes the installation of optical network terminals (ONT) in the gram panchayat (village council) buildings. Alternatively, it can also be installed in any government buildings such as schools or hospitals.</p>
<p>The tender is for the supply of 7,360 numbers of solar equipment, including solar module (along with a suitable stand), VRLA batteries, charge controller unit, and installation material, including earthing. The solar modules should be as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) guidelines for claiming subsidy.</p>
<p>According to the tender document, the successful bidder must supply the solar photovoltaic (SPV) power supply system as a complete package along with the ONT. The solar panel should be installed on a rooftop. The specification of the rooftop structure will be site-specific.</p>
<p>The bidder must ensure that the charging control unit should have a provision that the battery should be charged both from solar power as well as grid supply. Solar will be the primary source, while grid supply will be the secondary source of power.</p>
<p>The project will be developed on a turnkey basis. According to the tender document, BSNL needs 588 optical line terminal sites to connect 7,360 optical network terminals at gram panchayats.</p>
<p>The last date for the submission of bids is June 2, 2020, while the opening of the tender has been scheduled for June 3, 2020. Interested bidders must pay a sum of ₹20 million (~$267,372) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).</p>
<p>As far as the eligibility criteria for bidders are concerned, prospective vendors should have an annual average turnover of ₹500 million (~$6.7 million) during the last three financial years.</p>
<p>In February 2020, BSNL had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/bsnl-issues-tender-rooftop-solar-projects-maharashtra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> bids for 2.5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects on BSNL buildings in different zones of Maharashtra.</p>
<p>Earlier, Mercom reported that the Department of Telecommunications had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/telecom-department-service-providers-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued directions</a> to the telecom service providers for the use of renewable energy solutions and energy-efficient technologies.</p>


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