Honeywell focusing on HFOs and bio composable composites; delivers BESS in Lakshadweep

Honeywell Automation India Ltd has successfully delivered and commissioned a microgrid battery energy and storage system (BESS) in India, for Solar Energy Corp. of India’s (SECI) Lakshadweep Islands project.

SECI’s Lakshadweep Islands project is the country’s first on-grid solar initiative that uses BESS to manage the supply of renewable power. BESS technologies are being integrated into the microgrid in the remote Kavaratti islands of Lakshadweep, supporting the strategic initiative of decarbonization of the islands’ energy supply.

Honeywell’s BESS technology includes a portfolio of solutions to help power producers store and distribute renewable energy. It includes a complete end-to-end solution that controls automation, safety, and efficiency aspects with a facility to render remote operations for battery modules and grid management systems to enable renewable power to be used within a microgrid that can also co-exist alongside national grid supply.

For the Lakshadweep project, Honeywell is supplying its energy management system (EMS)/microgrid controller and power plant Controller to manage the distribution of renewable energy, as well as a range of BESS sub-systems.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion today, Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell India, said that we have been present in India for around 100 years, since 1932. Our major presence started with a partnership with Tata in 1989. Our domestic business is very vibrant. We have 20 offices spread across the country, and three manufacturing facilities in Gurgaon, Pune, and Dehradun. India has a large presence, and 60% of R&D spend is focused on ESG. 

Three mega trends

There are three mega trends. One, energy transition, two, automation, and digital transformation and AI, and third, aviation. In the next three years, India will have three times the number of aircrafts. We have lot of equipment for aircrafts. These trends are in full force in India. 

We have also launched a report on sustainability. We need do address hard-to-abate sectors. We have talked about three buckets of solutions. First, is cities. We are aware of the SEZs. We can have net zero SEZs today. Sikkim, HP, J&K are actually net zero states. In Kerala, more than 70% of power is using hydropower. Karnataka has 50%. 

The key enablers are battery energy storage systems. BESS can address 20 million liters usage of diesel generation. If you bring in solar, and back it up with BESS, you can easily address carbon emission.

Next, there is the smart cities project. India now needs to convert those to sustainable solutions. Further, we have a slew of solutions for hard-to-abate sectors. Finally, we have sustainable materials. 

If you replace hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) with hydrofluoroolefins (HFO), you can probably replace 13 million cars annually. We also have other examples where India can easily adopt sustainable solutions. Innovative materials can also help us reduce carbon capture. 

HFOs and bio composable composites are two innovative materials. People had moved to paper-based things to replace plastic bags. Bio composable composites have come in to replace them. They are a replacement for plastics. We also need to replace HFC in the automotives. Greenhouse warming potential also gets addressed. 

He said it is imperative for India. We are solar-rich country. We need to aggregate biogas better. India also has the Green Hydrogen Mission. We have demand for transportation, and it is planned beyond 2029. Safety will be a major consideration. Green hydrogen has great demand. 

He added that there are a lot of smart cities in India. We have lot of sensors to collect data. If you extend that, you can monitor many things.

Replacing HFC with HFO

Dr. Gavin P. Towler, Chief Sustainability Officer, Corporate VP, and Chief Scientist, Honeywell, said that lot of refrigerants used today are HFC. They have high warming molecules. We have phased out HFCs, and developed HFOs. These molecules break down in the atmosphere and do not contribute to global warming. 

We have now set our goals. We need to be carbon neutral by 2035. We are on the path. We have also reduced our carbon footprint by 50% by sourcing renewable power. A lot has been done using our own technologies. Our labs in India are also very well equipped, and they have talent. We also have lifecycle analysis that is done in the Madurai office.

The path to net zero report was written almost entirely by the India team. Many ideas have also come out of here. Honeywell's technology is now made in India, for the world. The SEZs, using micro grids for batteries, BESS, etc., have all come out of India. Four of our biggest labs are in USA, and one is in Bangalore. Madurai has a CoE for aerospace. Gurugram has a chemicals lab. Nearly all of our products are touched by the teams in India. 

We are also investing in talent. We partnered for talent with Tamil Nadu. Students from several disadvantaged backgrounds can learn better, and get better-paying jobs, by building their sustainability skillsets.

India has also had a low carbon footprint so far. The technologies we are developing can also leapfrog other technologies. There are fresh opportunities for India to leapfrog again. This activity can also attract foreign investment. India now has the opportunity to develop, and set the pace for a low-climate economy. 

We are also talking with refineries about how to incorporate biogas into their feed. We also need to have India make fertilizers having lower carbon footprint. We talk about societal changes. Impacts of global warming will influence people's lives. Digital infrastructure can help deliver solutions.

Focus on SAF

Ranjit Kulkarni, GM, Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions, gave insights on the energy sector. We are present across every refinery in India. Clean fuel is always on the agenda. Energy is looked at from the transportation and industrial sectors. Today, we are using biodegradable detergents. What's next for India? We are an agricultural economy. We need to ensure that everything is utilized properly. 

We have moved on further to biowaste. Today, sustainable aviation fuels or SAF is a flavor everybody wants. Also, ethanol is the third biggest feedstock in India. We can convert ethanol into SAF. We can also take all the captured CO2, and convert that into e-fuels. We are also talking to some Indian developers. 

On the industrial side, the amount of steel that India requires will double by 2040. Cement will also triple. We need to make all of this energy efficient. We need to go for cleaner hydrogen, cleaner electricity, and carbon capture. 

Clean hydrogen has a hurdle -- costs. We have the technology for purification. Hydrogen needs consistent supply of electricity. Capturing carbon is also the most costliest thing. We are working on that. We are excited about being part of the energy revolution.

He said that making biogas is easier, and purifying it is very important. We need to reach 99% on purity. Regarding green hydrogen, the demand is there. Everybody wants it, but at what costs. We also need to look at the cost of the electrolyzer. India has a big investment in the electrolyzer. Hydrogen can go out in three forms. Liquid organic carrier can be the future. 

We are also seeing the adoption of green ammonia in India. Methanol is being looked at by the marine industry. Government has to put in policies.