India is likely to require Energy Storage Systems (ESS) of over 2,400 Giga Watt Hour (Gwh) capacity to cater to the needs of all the major sectors of the economy, according to India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF), a public-private partnership under the aegis of the power ministry.
"The cumulative demand of ESS estimated by 2032 is in excess of 2400 GWh which is a strong case for setting up of giga-scale battery manufacturing plants in India on the fast track," ISGF said in a report titled "Energy Storage System Roadmap for India: 2019 – 2032"
The government wants non-fossil fuel-based power projects to account for 40 percent of the total electricity generation capacity by 2030. This requires radical measures to scale up the share of renewable energy. India has embarked on a target of 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The integration of this massive renewable energy capacity is expected to pose challenges for grid operations. Storage projects could play a role in grid integration and management of renewable energy.
According to ISGF, the energy storage market in India witnessed a demand of 23 GWh in 2018 with 56 percent of the battery demand coming from the power backup inverter segment. The electric vehicle industry consumed over 5 GWh of batteries in India in 2018. This is likely to grow to 36 GWh by 2025.
Energy storage could help the country meet its emission reduction targets and avoid import dependence for battery packs and cells.
