U.S. solar company SunEdison has purchased 1,000 energy storage systems from battery developer Imergy as part of its project to bring solar electricity to many parts of rural India.
The vanadium flow battery systems will bring 100 MWh of storage capacity to SunEdison’s solar powered microgrids, which are being installed in some of India’s most underserved regions. The company’s goal is to bring reliable energy to 20 million people globally by 2020.
“Energy storage is the perfect complement to solar-powered mini-grids because it enables us to provide dependable, 24/7 electricity,” said SunEdison CEO and president Ahmad Chatila. “Imergy’s technology is a great fit for rural electrification because their systems are high performance, low cost, ultra-durable and need very little maintenance.”
As part of the deal, SunEdison is also preparing to increase its equity investment in Imergy as the two companies seek to strengthen their working relationship.
The extensive rural electrification program in India has now begun, and Imergy is due to begin shipping its batteries shortly.
The announcement follows just days after U.S. solar leasing company SolarCity announced that it too is stepping into the microgrid market with an offering designed to appeal to discrete communities that are either ill-served by the grid, or require their own standalone power source.
Source: PV Magazine. Reproduced with permission.
