For better utilisation of energy resources, use of micro-grids or smart grids may be more successful in India than concentrated large networks, Ilya Likhov, founder and CEO of Hong Kong-headquartered, Neosun Energy, has said.
Likhov, who was in India for a panel discussion during the recently concluded India Energy Week, when asked about the right approach for India to expand its energy mix told businessline that “India still needs significant access to electricity as many enterprises who operate in areas such as agriculture and mining as well as some remote villages do not get enough supply.”
“It is very complicated and expensive to build transmission line across all territory as well as to deliver fossil fuel. Based on our experience — currently we are working in Africa, Middle East — we have built some local small power stations like 100 kilowatt or maybe 1 megawatt to provide electricity for small community. Using small grids which is less expensive, we can provide hybrid solution by having small micro-grid system,” he said.
Neosun Energy, is an international Solar EPC company that provides commercial solar PV and Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) with capacity from 200kW to 10MW for commercial and industrial projects. Known for its global outreach with operations in 16 countries and contracts with major clients like Allianz, FIFA and Adidas.
According to him, hybrid energy sources are the best solution for India, given the country’s large territories, as it help avoid huge costs associated with building power lines. “We are exploring opportunities for setting up business in India,” he said adding that the India business will be used to cater to the region as well.
“We are considering two locations — one is near Delhi and the other near Bengaluru. We are yet to identify the exact location. Meanwhile, we are looking for a country manager,” he said adding “We have a three pronged approach for how we want to start in India.”
“First step is to start to work with local customers and enterprises to provide them cheap and high-quality solutions. And even if we produce it outside of India, we can provide cheaper price or quite competitive price. The second option is to start assembling of our power hub solution. And subsequently we want to set up this assembling plant in India,” he said.
“In the third step, we can consider the production of solar panels in India as well. But it will be when we have built a big chain, a big network and gotten big sales volume. So maybe it will be in the second or third year of our business here,” he said.
“The energy system of India is one of the largest in the world — among the top 3 countries in the world in terms of energy consumption. And, of course, maintaining a balance among energy generation sources is extremely important. Today, the majority of India’s energy generation comes from coal sources (currently, 55 per cent of India’s energy needs depend on coal). However, energy sources like solar are not only cheaper but also environmentally friendly. And, just as importantly, they allow energy production anywhere, but unfortunately, solar energy is unavailable at night,” he said stressing for maintaining a balance between different energy sources and energy storage systems.
