Key facts
- Pankaj Agarwal said India will require state utilities to add storage capacity and is working on more clean energy tenders for storage.
- The approved program covers 92 GWh of storage: 30 GWh batteries, 60 GWh pumped storage and 2 GWh emerging technologies.
- India plans a regulation from July 2027 requiring solar and wind developers to install battery storage at project sites.
- JMK Research & Analytics said India curtailed as much as 118.6 GW of solar and wind capacity in September.
India plans to require state-owned utilities to add energy storage capacity, Pankaj Agarwal, secretary of the Indian Power Ministry, said on November 5, 2026 at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit. Agarwal said federal authorities will mandate the additions and that India is working to launch additional clean energy tenders for storage.
The push follows curtailment of renewable output. JMK Research & Analytics said India curtailed as much as 118.6 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity in September, citing demand-generation mismatches, transmission constraints, limited storage and grid flexibility, and seasonal overlaps between high renewable output and moderate demand. The research firm's data was reported last month.
Earlier in the week of November 5, India's federal government approved a $1.54 billion (145 billion Indian rupees) program to fund 92 gigawatt-hours of grid-scale energy storage. The Viability Gap Funding Scheme covers 30 GWh of battery energy storage systems, 60 GWh of pumped storage projects and 2 GWh of emerging storage technologies, all yet to be commissioned. The government said the support "will help improve the financial viability of these projects and accelerate the deployment of large-scale energy storage infrastructure in the country."
Separately, India plans to introduce from July 2027 a regulation requiring developers of solar and wind projects to install battery storage at their sites, to address curtailments and a lack of flexibility in renewable sources.