India proposes mandatory battery storage for new renewable projects from July 2027

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