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A view of solar panels outside Fiotext Cotspin cotton yarn manufacturing factory at Rajkot in Gujarat, India, April 14, 2026. REUTERS
Sept 4 (Reuters) – India plans to mandate battery storage for all new government solar and wind projects from July 2027, to ensure green power can be stored and dispatched when needed, according to draft regulations.
- India plans to mandate two-hour battery storage equivalent to at least 10% of capacity for all new solar and onshore wind projects commissioned after July 1 next year, the draft regulations produced by the Central Electricity Authority showed.
- The requirement would become more stringent from July 2029, when the minimum storage duration would increase to four hours, while retaining the 10% capacity requirement
- The proposal comes as India rapidly expands renewable energy capacity but faces growing challenges in managing fluctuations in solar and wind generation.
- Storage systems can absorb surplus electricity and release it later, helping reduce power curbs that have become common
- India, the world’s third-biggest solar power generator, curbed nearly 14% of its solar power output between April and June due to surplus clean energy during daytime and limited transmission infrastructure available to carry power.
- The draft rules also propose that clean energy projects commissioned after July 2027 include grid-forming inverter capabilities.
- Grid-forming technologies can help maintain voltage and frequency stability and are viewed as increasingly important as renewable energy’s share in the power mix rises.
Reporting by Sethuraman NR; Editing by Jan Harvey
