New Delhi: India will require 888 GWh of energy storage system (ESS) capacity by 2035-36, a huge jump from today’s 1 GWh scale, according to the “India BESS Market Review” released by India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Customized Energy Solutions (CES) at the opening of India Energy Storage Week (IESW) in New Delhi. The report highlights how energy storage is now the key pillar in strengthening grid reliability and enabling the country’s renewable energy ambitions. The inaugural session of IESW 2026 featured industry leaders, including Nitin Bhatia (Radiance Renewables), Venugopal Rao Maddisetty (Pace Digitek), Avinash Rao (Mahindra Susten), Nikhil Bhuta (DC&T, Belding India), and Suman Nag (Envision Energy), as well as industry delegates from 15 countries, according to a press release.
Debmalya Sen, President of IESA, said, “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. With policy, industry, and innovation converging here in New Delhi, we are building the foundation for a reliable and sustainable future.”
Organised by IESA, the three-day event at Yashobhoomi (IICC), New Delhi, 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.
Nitin Bhatia, CEO, Radiance Renewables, said, “We believe solar plus battery energy storage is the way forward. If industry, policymakers, and equipment suppliers work together to make batteries more competitive and policies more consistent, there’s a bright future ahead with only increasing growth rates.”
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 ESS tender pipeline to 260 GWh.
Tanya Singhal, Vice President, Country Head – India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet said, “The true measure of success is not just how many gigawatts we install, but how much renewable energy we can actually deliver and utilise. 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% 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, Energy storage is now indispensable national infrastructure, enabling renewable energy to become dispatchable, stabilising the grid, and enhancing resilience. This represents one of India’s largest industrial opportunities and a chance to become a global hub for advanced energy storage technologies.”
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, “Energy storage transforms renewables from weather-dependent instruments into dispatchable, bankable assets. To secure our future, India must build and master storage systems domestically, owning the value chain and setting cost curves for the world.”
