Honeywell Commissions Battery Energy Storage System To Help Decarbonise Lakshadweep

Honeywell Automation India Ltd. has delivered and commissioned a microgrid battery energy and storage system for Solar Energy Corp.'s Lakshadweep Islands project.

According to Honeywell, SECI's Lakshadweep Islands project is the country's first on-grid solar initiative that uses BESS technologies to manage the supply of renewable power. The technologies are being integrated into the microgrid of the Kavaratti islands of Lakshadweep, supporting the decarbonisation initiative of the islands' energy supply.

Honeywell's BESS includes solutions to help power producers store and distribute renewable energy. It includes a solution that controls automation, safety and efficiency aspects with a facility to render remote operations for battery modules and grid management systems. It enables renewable power to be used within a microgrid that can also co-exist with national grid supply.

For the Lakshadweep project, Honeywell is supplying its energy management system/microgrid controller and power plant controller to manage the distribution of renewable energy, as well as a range of BESS sub-systems. Honeywell EMS use cases include capacity smoothing, peak shaving, volt VAR control, black start operation, and constant charging and discharging.

"We are committed to supporting India's energy transition and energy self-reliance initiative by driving constant technology and software innovation to participate in the country's net-zero 2070 goal," said Ashish Gaikwad, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Industrial Automation India.

At present, nearly all the power and energy consumed in Lakshadweep is provided by diesel generator units. These have high carbon emissions and further have a dependency on the mainland for fuel, which increases the average cost of electricity.

As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the 1.7MWp Solar and 1.4MWh BESS-enabled Lakshadweep project aims to save Rs 250 crore over the lifetime, reduce diesel consumption by 19.8 million litres and offset 58,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

"This project addresses the energy challenges of Lakshadweep and aligns seamlessly with the broader national objective of promoting green energy. We believe it will pave the way for more sustainable and resilient energy solutions for island regions across the country," said Shreedhar Singh, additional general manager at SECI.