CESL plans solar charging stations for electric vehicles all over India
The State-run Convergence Energy Services (CESL) plans solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles all over India. The CESL invited bids for setting up a solar PV-based electric carport and rooftop power plant at Leh, Ladakh.
CESL solar charging stations
The CESL invited online bids to set up a 242 kW solar carport and rooftop solar system with a lithium-based battery energy storage system (BESS) of capacity 762 kWh with five years of operation & maintenance (O&M). The last date for submitting bids is August 13, 2021, and the bids would be opened on the same day. The bidders are expected to pay ₹20,000 for the cost of the bid document.
Mahua Acharya, Managing Director and CEO, CESL said, “We will soon launch a study to understand what demand is, practical possibilities and limitations like space required, battery set up or what happens when the sun is not shining. The study will last for 4-6 weeks. States have the ambition for this, they have been urging us and some states are doing more than that,”
For fast-charging stations, the estimated cost is between Rs 16.5 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, including equipment, land and power. The cost of setting up a solar carport is estimated to go up to a maximum of Rs 3-4 crore as it consists of solar panels, lithium-ion batteries and comparatively larger real estate.
“We are extremely bullish about it. We started with Leh because Ladakh has a carbon-neutral policy. It would be a shame if we were to use any other source of charging for a car in an area that has carbon-neutral ambitions. The investment required for a solar carport depends on the number of cars it would host. Because of the harsh climate Leh has oversized batteries and therefore investments will be higher than what it could be in other parts of the country,” Acharya added.
Last month, the CESL has announced bids to procure 100,000 electric two and three-wheelers. This comes as part of the CESL aim to have half a million light electric vehicles across India.
In June, the Ministry of Heavy Industries had contracted EESL already to procure 300,000 electric three-wheelers for use in various government agencies when extending the FAME II scheme. The company also says that it has issued a request for proposals for inviting OEMs (Original equipment manufacturers) to provide quotations for electric three-wheelers under different uses such as garbage disposal, freight loaders, food and vaccine transport and passenger autos. It has announced a tender of 100,000 electric trikes and two-wheelers but it is not disclosing many details.
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