The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has given a grant to the IL&FS Energy Development Company Limited (IEDCL) for the development of a 41 MW hybrid wind, solar, and energy storage power project in Andhra Pradesh.

This project is being supported under the U.S. – India Energy Cooperation Program (ECP) which was launched by the USTDA, the Indian government, and the U.S. private sector in 2010.

The technical assistance will advance the pre-implementation and pre-construction activities for the project, which is expected to lead to a 1,040 MW installation.

Earlier, the USTDA had also given assistance to the Indian states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh to verify their technical, financial and commercial viability for wind, solar, and energy storage hybrid power projects.

After the successful completion of an analysis in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, IEDCL and the government of Andhra Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the project. Black & Veatch, a Kansas-based engineering firm, has been selected by the IEDCL to provide technical assistance, which will advance pre-implementation and pre-construction activities for the project.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Business Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in which the U.S. Cabinet Secretaries and senior leaders from the government and business sectors discussed potential areas of collaboration in the Indo-Pacific.

“Grid modernization through hybrid projects like this one will help promote sustainable economic growth in India and support the government’s goal of reaching 175 GW of capacity from renewable sources by 2022. Hybrid solutions, by optimizing output and reducing variability, will also improve the bankability of renewable energy projects,” said Jason Abiecunas, Director of Distributed Energy Resources at Black & Veatch.

Recently, The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced a new wind-solar hybrid policy that aims to provide a framework for the expansion of grid-connected wind-solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid systems in the country.