Why India needs more transmission, battery storage for green energy push

India's rapidly growing renewable energy capacity is facing challenges in efficiently transporting and storing the generated power. To address this issue, the government has approved the third phase of the Green Energy Corridor (GEC), which includes a dedicated battery energy storage component. The GEC aims to build transmission infrastructure to integrate large-scale renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, into the national grid.

The phase III of the scheme, with an outlay of Rs 1.86 lakh crore, will facilitate the evacuation of up to 135 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy.

The main challenges include transmission bottlenecks and grid congestion, particularly during peak solar generation times. This leads to renewable power being curtailed or restricted from being evacuated. Additionally, renewable capacity is expanding faster than the related transmission infrastructure. The scheme focuses on developing intra-state transmission systems and deploys 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to store excess renewable electricity during high generation periods and discharge it when demand rises but power generation remains low.

The GEC-III is expected to support 135 GW of infrastructure creation at the state level, with proposals received from at least 13 states. The approach combines competitive bidding for greenfield projects and cost-plus basis for brownfield upgrades and network strengthening. The scheme is targeted for completion by FY33, with consistent delays reported in its implementation.