Govt to mandate battery storage for renewable power projects

New Delhi: The Union ministry of new and renewable energy may soon mandate battery storage capacity for upcoming solar and wind power plants, said Prashant Kumar Singh, secretary, Union ministry of new and renewable energy on Monday. Now, with falling battery prices, it makes a lot of sense to go ahead and henceforth not have any vanilla solar or vanilla wind project.” The intermittent nature of renewable energy requires battery energy storage systems or pump storage projects for storing and regular release of power, which would keep the grid stable and ensure round-the-clock power supply. The point here is there is immediately a requirement to set up extra capacity with battery storage where transmission line is there but used only for 7-8 hours,” Singh said, adding that the norm would come in “very soon.” In September last year, the Union cabinet approved a ₹3,760 crore viability gap funding scheme aimed at enhancing the viability of infrastructure projects—for battery energy storage systems. Grid-scale battery storage systems are critical to energy transition since renewable power generation fluctuates depending on sunlight and wind conditions.