Microsoft Corporation's co-founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, evinced a special interest in Andhra Pradesh's environmentally friendly initiatives, specifically the innovative green energy pumped storage project that was executed by the Greenko Group in Kurnool.
Mr.Gates was given a brief by the Greenko Founder, CEO, and Managing Director Anil Chalamalasetty at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, where he was in attendance. Greenko is in the process of setting up an Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Project (IRESP) in Kurnool that is first of its kind.
The project is estimated to cost $3 billion and will have a capacity of 5,230 MW, consisting of a pumped storage (10,800 MW of daily storage), solar (3000 MW), and wind (550 MW) power generation. The project is expected to be completed by 2024.
At the G20 summit, Mr. Gates examined the miniature models of the project, which were enclosed in glass displays, and inquired about the technical aspects of the project. In pumped hydro storage projects (PHPs), such as the one in Kurnool, water is pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation using solar power, and then released from higher elevation to generate electricity primarily for peak demand during nights.
