Photo: malp/Adobe Stock
India’s ambitious clean energy journey hinges on rapid and large-scale deployment of energy storage systems (ESS), and especially battery ESS, to enable reliable integration of variable renewables. India has struggled to gain traction despite ambitious targets: With 0.11 GW of operational BESS as of the end of 2024 against a projected requirement of more than 73.93 GW by FY 2031–32, the gap is stark. Internationally, pairing solar generation with battery energy storage has proven to be one of the most effective ways to accelerate storage deployment. Pairing solar with storage, through thoughtful tender design and market mechanisms, can unlock investment and operational efficiencies for power systems.
This report puts forward an actionable solar-plus-storage tendering playbook to address India’s deployment challenges and catalyze ESS growth. Drawing on international best practice and cost-optimal modeling, this report equips policymakers, utilities, and developers with practical, scalable tools to unlock investment and accelerate BESS deployment, ensuring that energy storage is no longer a bottleneck but a strategic enabler of India’s 500 GW clean energy ambition.
This report was made possible by a direct grant from an international foundation.
