New Delhi: Battery energy storage systems and transmission infrastructure will play a pivotal role in supporting the next phase of India’s renewable energy expansion as the country continues to add solar capacity, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said, ANI reported.
Speaking after the government announced that the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana had crossed 50.06 lakh beneficiary households, Sarangi said the priority was now shifting from capacity addition to ensuring that renewable electricity is efficiently integrated into the power grid.
He said strengthening interstate and intrastate transmission networks, along with expanding battery energy storage systems, would improve grid absorption and reduce renewable energy curtailment.
“Improving transmission lines at both interstate and intrastate levels and adding more battery energy storage systems to our portfolio would result in better integration of renewable energy into the grid,” Sarangi said.
The government said the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore, has achieved the milestone in just over two years. The scheme added 5.06 lakh rooftop solar installations in July 2026, its highest monthly addition since launch, and is currently enrolling nearly one lakh beneficiary households every six days.
Sarangi said floating solar projects could help overcome land constraints in agriculturally intensive states such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, where limited land availability restricts the expansion of ground-mounted solar plants. He said the recently announced floating solar scheme would support renewable energy deployment in such regions.
The ministry is also advancing agrivoltaic projects that combine crop cultivation with solar power generation. Sarangi said pilot projects are being conducted with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to identify crops best suited for cultivation beneath solar panels, according to ANI.
Once suitable crops are identified, the recommendations will be shared with states to encourage wider adoption of agrivoltaics, enabling farmers to supplement their income through electricity generation while continuing agricultural production.
According to the government, rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana have risen to 50.06 lakh households from 7.94 lakh installations recorded over the previous decade. The scheme is targeting one crore beneficiary households by March 31, 2027.