Table of Contents
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
•World’s First Thermal Battery Plant
•The thermal battery facility, to be owned by Bharat Energy Storage Technology Private Limited (BEST), inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and could provide energy solutions for electrical grids, transport
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•As per the plans known, BEST aims to commercially open up the plant by May 2019, where it could provide an initial capacity of 1000MW.
•In its first phase, it will produce batteries for telecom, mini/microgrids, and electric buses, that are expected to run for up to 800kms on a single charge.
• This technology, patented in India by Dr Patrick Glynn in 2016, scores over Li-ion batteries due to lesser heat sensitivity, as well as a smaller carbon footprint.
• In addition, these also outperform solar panels, which are expensive to maintain, and highly weather-dependent during operation. While conforming to the Indian government’s 2030 e-vehicles goal, BEST also plans to make batteries that are completely free of hard metal or inflammable
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•The BEST also aims to set up a Greenfield Project in India, at an estimated cost of Rs. 660 crores, through which nearly 3000 jobs are expected to be created within three years time.
ADVANTAGES
• The technology, which will help in mitigating carbon emissions, is best suited for grid balancing and stabilisations.
• It will also be used to store energy for telecommunication, commercial establishments, electric vehicles and highway charging stations.
• It can also be effectively used in remote locations, such as hilly terrains and islands.
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• Conventional battery technology is based on the system of charging/discharging cycles that are driven by electricity.
• For example, the Lithium-ion battery, a staple of many electronic devices, consists of electric charges being transferred from electrodes.
• Energy is derived from this battery, when lithium atoms turn into lithium ions (Li+), and get stored when this reaction reverses. Therefore, Li-ion batteries work on the basis of electrical energy.
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• Thermal batteries, on the other hand, use thermal energy to operate, i.e., the energy created by temperature differences.
• Therefore, the energy transfer in thermal batteries helps store heat when heat travels from one part of the battery setup to the other.
• For that to happen, a thermal battery consists of two parts: a cool zone known as sink, and a hot source called source. Both these sides consist of compounds known as phase-changing materials (PCMs), which can change their state of matter on the basis of a physical/chemical reaction.
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•When the sink of a thermal battery receives heat, it transforms physically or chemically, thereby storing energy, while the source cools down.
• During operation, the sink is cooled down, so it releases the stored energy, while the source heats up. Depending on the nature of the battery, the system can derive heat from any source, which makes a thermal battery very versatile.
•Among others, South Korean carmaker Kia Motors Corp has signed a deal to invest about $1.1 billion to build its first factory in India’s Andhra Pradesh.
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