New Delhi: India will require 888 GWh of energy storage system capacity by 2035-36, up from 1 GWh currently, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.
The report highlighted how energy storage is now the key pillar in strengthening grid reliability and enabling the country's renewable energy ambitions, a statement said.
India will require 888 GWh of energy storage system (ESS) capacity by 2035-36, from the existing 1 GWh scale, according to the 'India BESS Market Review' released by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Customized Energy Solutions (CES) at India Energy Storage Week (IESW) here on Wednesday.
The inaugural session of IESW 2026 featured industry leaders and delegates from 15 countries.
Debmalya Sen, President of IESA, said on the occasion that the IESW 2026 is more than an industry summit; it's a testament to how far India has come on its clean energy journey.
The 888 GWh target by 2035-36 signals a new era where energy storage is at the centre of our energy ambitions, Sen added.
Organised by IESA, the three-day event at Yashobhoomi (IICC) brings together over 200 exhibitors and more than 10,000 industry leaders for policy discussion, technical exchange, and announcements that will define India's clean energy transition.
Radiance Renewables CEO Nitin Bhatia said he believes solar plus battery energy storage is the way forward.
The report further shows that India's installed BESS capacity increased 11-fold in just six months, from 0.78 GWh in December 2025 to 8.7 GWh in H1 2026, and the country is on track to surpass 10 GWh of installed BESS capacity by the end of the year.
In H1 2026, 47 GWh of ESS tenders were floated, bringing the total tender pipeline to 260 GWh.
Tanya Singhal, Vice President, Country Head - India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, said that to build a truly flexible and resilient grid, storage must be integrated at the generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption levels.
Eighteen BESS projects have been commissioned so far, with 70 per cent of the capacity addition in H1 2026 coming from merchant BESS installations.
India's manufacturing momentum is also accelerating, with current Li-ion battery cell manufacturing capacity at around 2 GWh and announced targets of approximately 110 GWh by 2030.
Cell/pack to container capacity is expected to reach 180-200 GWh by 2030.
Venugopal Rao Maddisetty, Chairman and Managing Director, Pace Digitek, said that energy storage is now an indispensable national infrastructure, enabling renewable energy to become dispatchable, stabilising the grid, and enhancing resilience.
The report underscores that, despite global supply chain volatility and rising battery prices, India's BESS sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience and is now recognised as one of the world's fastest-growing markets.
Nikhil Bhuta, Director, DC&T (Belding India), said that to secure the future, India must build and master storage systems domestically, owning the value chain and setting cost curves for the world.
