Rajasthan's Bhadla Solar Park To Test Technology That Generates Solar Power After Sunset

Rajasthan's Bhadla Solar Park, a vast solar energy facility, is preparing to test groundbreaking technology that could provide solar power generation even after dark hours. The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) has green-lighted NTPC's plan to install a 320-kW pilot Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project at Bhadla.

If successful, this would be the first of its kind in India, aiming to store solar energy as heat within specialized ceramic modules, instead of traditional battery-based storage. The country's inaugural ceramic storage-based concentrated solar power project is being set up in Bhadla, with NTPC working in tandem with RRECL. The concept involves converting daytime solar energy into heat and storing it in high-temperature ceramic modules.

Post-dark, this thermal energy will power an air turbine, generating electricity and potentially reducing reliance on costly chemical batteries. The pilot project will utilize ceramic thermal energy storage technology developed by the US-based firm 247Solar. NTPC and RRECL will collaborate on implementation and testing at Bhadla.

The RRECL's approval will lay the groundwork for preliminary feasibility studies, site surveys, and structural assessments. If the Bhadla pilot project proves fruitful, the ceramic-based thermal storage technology could potentially be rolled out across the nation, bolstering Rajasthan's standing as a center for advanced renewable energy technologies and contributing to India's net-zero emissions and energy security objectives.