India to Require Storage Buys With Renewables to Cut Curtailment

What the proposal would do

New Delhi wants distribution companies to add storage when they procure clean power. How much storage will be required is being debated, and the government aims to finalize the policy by March, Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said on Thursday at the Bharat RE Summit in New Delhi. An existing advisory that asks renewable developers to integrate storage will be turned into a mandate, he added.

Why storage matters to the grid

Storage captures excess power and delivers it back to the grid when supply is scarce, easing midday solar surges and wind-driven variability. Without enough storage, grid operators have to curtail renewable output. Roughly 11% of solar output in the hottest months of this year ended up curtailed, even as electricity demand reached an all-time high.

Policy timing and broader aims

The mandate follows a Wednesday decision to extend capital subsidies to storage projects such as batteries, pumped hydropower and emerging technologies. Storage can enable fuller use of today's transmission grid and limit how much new infrastructure must be added. Globally, storage has become central to using clean power more effectively as solar and wind expand quickly.

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What investors should watch

Key markers to track: the final storage requirement distributors must meet, which technologies qualify under the subsidy program, and how the mandate is implemented across new and existing renewable contracts. The policy's stated aim is to spur investment in batteries capable of banking excess power and dispatching it when supply grows tight.

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