India’s Battery Storage Capacity Forecast to Reach 302 GWh by 2032

India’s cumulative battery energy storage system capacity is forecast to rise nearly 50-fold to 302 gigawatt-hours by fiscal 2031-32, helping integrate expanding solar and wind generation into the power grid.

Capacity is projected to increase from 6.3 GWh in fiscal 2026, implying a 91% compound annual growth rate. Annual battery-storage additions are expected to rise from 5.7 GWh to 56 GWh over the same period.

The forecast is above the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) 236.2 GWh planning figure for fiscal 2031-32. The CEA’s scenarios show potential battery energy storage requirements ranging from 193.55 GWh to 335.2 GWh.

Battery systems can store surplus electricity when renewable output is high and release it when generation declines or demand increases. Battery storage is one part of India’s broader energy-storage strategy, alongside pumped-storage projects.

India may require about 888 GWh of total energy storage capacity by fiscal 2035-36 to support electricity demand and renewable-power integration. That estimate includes storage beyond batteries and is not directly comparable with the 302 GWh battery energy storage forecast.

“Energy storage will be one of the defining technologies of India’s energy transition,” said Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Institute Professor at IIT Madras. “Renewable energy must stay at the forefront, but it needs to be supported by storage to build a stronger, more reliable, and increasingly affordable power system.”

The estimates are forecasts rather than confirmed installed capacity or government targets. Differences between them reflect varying assumptions about renewable-energy growth, grid requirements and the mix of battery and pumped-storage projects.