Energy has always excited mankind. Energy production, transmission & its storage has seen many inventions and yet we are still evolving. With so much of global concerns over carbon emissions alternative fuels & energy storage is now taking the centre stage of every economy. India has taken a giant leap with induction of solar energy & battery energy storage systems. The country is targeting about 450 Gigawatt (GW) of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 – about 280 GW (over 60%) is expected from solar. As of September 2021, India had 101.53 GW of renewable energy capacity and represents ~38% of the overall installed power capacity. The government has laid down so many PLI schemes & incentives strategies in order to encourage manufacturing of solar PV modules & energy storage systems.
Battery Energy storage systems (BESS) technology involving various battery chemistries is now being encouraged along with generation of renewable energy. With ever growing solar PV modules installations, ON GRID dependency needed to have an alternative. The invention of Lithium-ion batteries has made energy storage and transmission effective and efficient. The eco-friendliness, light-weight & compactness, reusability, high energy density and requirement of low maintenance have made them a favorite choice across the world. Adoption of renewable energy resources and electric vehicles across the world has created a strong incentive for the invention of efficient energy storage solutions.
The capital intensive nature of the industry & production challenges often restricts startups to venture into this industry. Bharat Alt Fuel recently announced its foray in new & renewable energy solutions. The company is building its manufacturing facility at Chennai, Tamil Nadu with
major focus on energy storage systems. Established in December 2020, Bharat Alt Fuel organized its strong base by ensuring product quality through cutting edge technology, reliable process engineering and quality materials procurement.
“At Bharat Alt Fuel, we have developed our core competencies in e-mobility & ESS. However our extended Solar EPC service portfolio ensures our participation in self sustained ecosystem of energy generation, preservation & transportation. We believe that safety, efficiency & reliability are the pillars of success for a startup like ours. We have been focusing on indigenous innovation & manufacturing. The ‘make in India, make for the world’ will remain our guiding principle says Sorubhh K Bharti, Executive Director, Bharat Alt Fuel.
The startup journey of BAF was not easy. There were number obstacles like financial challenges and competition from major players. After series of rounds with various investors BAF was seed funded by Audisankara Innovation& Incubation Centre (AIIC), Hyderabad. An infusion of 3.5 Mn USD as seed funding along with establishment of a 20,000 square meters of manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu has definitely given a good start to the team at BAF.
Anusha Vanki, Director AIIC
Anusha Vanki, Principal Director at AIIC says that integrated approach towards renewable energy generation & storage is the only solution towards a green future. India will definitely meet its EV targets by 2030 but if powering of EVs still comes from burning of coal (India generates more than 60% of its electricity through coal) it will be a bigger disaster. “I was impressed with ideas put forward by Bharat Alt Fuel. The business plan had a sense of sustainability & scalability. AIIC incubated this idea & would like to work along with BAF to realize the true potential of the whole idea” says Anusha.
Future Roadmap
At the moment, BAF is expanding business horizons with global partners in US, Israel & Taiwan and are strategizing to strengthen footprints in Asia and Africa. Company is signing power purchase agreements in Cambodia & Tanzania upto a capacity of around 100 MW. Recently, BAF signed a MOU to set-up a self sustained agro mill which consists of 200KW solar plant near Nasik. The project will change lives of 12000 farmers when it is fully commissioned and this will be first of its kind. They are also working on various projects such as public surveillance systems and traffic signals that are self sustained with Solar Power and ESS. BAF will focus on exploring many new age battery chemistries and other alternative fuels in coming future.
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