Tata Power Delhi Distribution (Tata Power DDL), which supplies electricity to around seven million households in Delhi, has launched India’s first grid-connected ‘Community Energy Storage System’ (CESS) in collaboration with Nexcharge.

Nexcharge is a joint venture between Exide India and Leclanché, Switzerland.

The 150KW/528KWH CESS installation at Ranibagh Substation is expected to improve the supply reliability at the distribution level, mainly at the load center, to mitigate peak load on distribution transformers.

The battery energy storage system will charge during the off-peak hours and discharge the power during peak conditions. A critical feature of CESS is to support the distribution transformers in managing the peak load, regulating voltage, improving the power factor, regulating frequency, and settling deviations.

Tata Power-DDL’s Chief Executive Officer, Ganesh Srinivasan, said, “Instead of building a humungous infrastructure of transformers and electric equipment, CESS can be used to meet peak demand while storing surplus power. I believe wider adoption of such storage systems will help balance the load curve of discoms and make them future-ready.”

Battery-based energy storage (BESS) enables electricity to be stored and delivered within milliseconds, supporting the electric grid’s stability and helping more energy be captured and delivered on-demand.

Speaking about the initiative, Stefan Louis, CEO, and Chief Technology Officer, Nexcharge, said, “Battery-based energy storage provides the agility to better integrate intermittent solar and wind energy resources into India’s electric grid and ensure high-quality power for consumers. A Community Energy Storage System like this will ensure consumers experience better stability, reliability, quality, and control. Both customers and distributors will benefit from this service.”

The system also has a black start feature, which ensures that the battery is connected to the privileged bus and can provide 150 KW for 4 hours duration to consumers providing critical services like hospitals, commercial complexes, and Delhi Jal Board during the outage of distribution transformers or supply fail condition.

Dense population with vertical load growth and space constraints to put up additional transformers are the key reasons behind Rani Bagh’s selection as the location for the installation.

Apart from the essential consumers, this system also serves hundreds of consumers residing in the area.

According to a report published by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), an alternative BESS based on low-cost lithium-ion batteries may enable India to meet the morning and evening peak demands.

Rahul is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before entering the world of renewables, Rahul was head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked for DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Hailing from a banking and finance background, Rahul has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. More articles from Rahul Nair.