Sri Lanka expects battery storage to help cut electricity costs within three years

Sri Lanka expects expanding battery storage and renewable-energy integration to help reduce electricity costs in real terms over the next two to three years, Dr B. L. Pradeep Priyadarshana Perera, Chairman and Board Member of National System Operator (Pvt.) Ltd, said.

Perera said the country had previously lacked the capacity to store surplus renewable electricity and release it when demand increased.

He said the commissioning of Sri Lanka’s first grid-connected battery energy storage system had created a pathway to address that problem, with significantly more storage capacity expected to be added over the next two years.

Perera said the aim was to keep electricity costs below the rate of inflation and, where possible, reduce what consumers paid in rupee terms.

He said battery storage would also help improve the reliability and efficiency of electricity supply by allowing more renewable power to be used when needed.

Greater digitalisation of the electricity system, including the introduction of smart meters, would also allow consumers to participate more effectively in the power market, he said.

Perera said about 144,000 rooftop solar systems were already connected to the national grid.

He said smarter integration of these systems would allow the grid and consumers to respond more effectively to each other’s requirements and improve overall system efficiency.