India intends to require power distribution companies to procure energy storage capacity alongside renewable energy purchases, aiming to reduce clean energy curtailment.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal stated on Thursday at the India Renewable Energy Summit held in New Delhi that the policy details, including the scale of energy storage capacity that distribution companies must pair, are still under discussion, and the government aims to finalize the new rules before March.
The mandatory policy is designed to drive investment in battery energy storage, storing surplus electricity and discharging it during supply shortages.
Solar power generation is concentrated during daytime hours, while wind output fluctuates with weather conditions, causing the grid to sometimes experience excess power and at other times power shortages.
When energy storage is insufficient, grid dispatch operators are forced to curtail renewable energy generation.
Official data shows that during the extreme heat months this year, approximately 11% of India's solar power generation was curtailed due to inadequate grid absorption, while electricity demand during the same period had already hit record highs.
On Wednesday of this week, the Indian government had just announced capital subsidies for energy storage projects, covering batteries, pumped hydro storage, and emerging storage technologies. The new rules are a complementary measure.
Agarwal stated that previously India only recommended that renewable energy developers pair energy storage, but going forward this will become a mandatory requirement.
In the global energy transition process, the importance of energy storage continues to rise.
With the rapid expansion of solar and wind power installations, grid absorption pressure is increasing. Energy storage can improve the utilization rate of existing transmission lines and reduce investment in new infrastructure.
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