India Energy Storage Alliance president Debmalya Sen takes a comprehensive look at national and regional efforts to promote and deploy much-needed energy storage capacity.

A battery storage ‘gigafactory’ in India will commence operation in October this year, with a planned ramp-up to 20GWh annual production capacity within three years.

Dr Rahul Walawalkar, founder & president of IESA, gives us an exclusive recap from India Energy Storage Week.

An Indian government scheme to support domestic battery manufacturing received bids totalling 130GWh of proposals, more than double the anticipated 50GWh of capacity the incentives will support. 

India’s first grid-scale solar-plus-storage tender has been held up by the extreme drop in the country’s solar PV prices this year, according to Rahul Walawalkar, executive director of the Indian Energy Storage Alliance.

What is thought to be India’s first grid-scale energy storage array will be developed and delivered by a joint partnership between system provider AES and Mitsubishi Corporation, it was announced.

After some hesitation, India’s energy storage market looks to be propelling itself into the big leagues with tenders and private projects on the way, Harsh Thacker of the India Energy Storage Alliance writes.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited expressions of interest (EOI) for energy storage demonstration projects to integrate renewables, recognising that the technology “has the potential to become highly attractive for both grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy applications”.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is set to launch a technology roadmap for electricity storage at the solar industry conference and exhibition Intersolar Europe next month. IRENA technology roadmap analyst Ruud Kempener spoke to Andy Colthorpe about the project.

India looks to be the latest country to examine installing energy storage at the top level, with the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) actively seeking demonstration projects and the country’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) inviting comments from stakeholders ahead of similar plans.