India Adds 4.6 GWh Battery Energy Storage Capacity In Q1 2026: Mercom Report

New Delhi, Jun 18 (KNN) India's cumulative installed battery energy storage capacity reached 5.9 GWh as of March 2026, with the country adding 4.6 GWh in the first quarter of the year alone, according to  a report by Mercom India Research. 

The ‘India Energy Storage Landscape Q1 2026 Report’ said standalone energy storage led with a 73 per cent share of cumulative installed capacity, followed by solar-plus-wind with storage at 15 per cent and solar-plus-storage projects at 11 per cent. The remainder was spread across emerging configurations, including floating solar with storage, each contributing less than 1 per cent.

Pumped Storage and Pipeline Activity

India's pumped storage project (PSP) pipeline remained robust, with 57.2 GW of projects at various stages of development. Of the 7.2 GW of installed pumped storage capacity as of March 2026, 5.7 GW was operational.

The broader energy storage development pipeline stood at 69 GWh in Q1 2026, comprising 41 GWh of standalone storage, 11 GWh of solar-plus-wind with storage, 9 GWh of solar-plus-energy storage and 6 GWh of renewable energy-plus-storage projects with unspecified configurations. 

Gujarat recorded the largest pipeline of standalone battery storage capacity at 10 GWh.

Tenders Rise, Auctions Slow

Tender activity picked up sharply during the quarter, with multiple agencies issuing tenders totalling 18 GW — a 47 per cent rise from 12 GW in Q4 2025. Auction volumes, however, declined 61 per cent from 11.1 GW in Q4 2025 to over 4 GW of standalone storage projects auctioned during the quarter.

Mercom noted that the energy storage sector is increasingly becoming an integral component of India's power system, driven by rapid growth in renewable capacity, rising solar penetration and an evolving regulatory environment.

(KNN Bureau)