India’s regulator proposes mandatory co-located storage for new solar, wind projects

India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has proposed new technical requirements for renewable energy projects, including mandatory grid-forming inverters and co-located energy storage for new ground-mounted solar and onshore wind projects.

Under the draft rules, renewable energy power plants commissioned after July 1, 2027, would be required to have at least 15% of their inverters equipped with grid-forming controls. All power conversion systems (PCS) used in battery energy storage systems (BESS) would also need to feature grid-forming controls to comply with the requirements of the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Connectivity to the Grid) Regulations.

The CEA has also proposed that ground-mounted solar and onshore wind projects commissioned after July 1, 2027, be equipped with co-located energy storage systems (ESS) with a minimum duration of two hours and power capacity equivalent to at least 10% of the renewable energy plant’s installed capacity.

Under the proposal, a 100 MW solar plant, for example, would require at least 10 MW of energy storage with a minimum duration of two hours.

The storage requirement would increase for ground-mounted solar and onshore wind projects commissioned between July 1, 2029, and June 30, 2031. These projects would be required to install co-located ESS with a minimum duration of four hours and power capacity equivalent to at least 10% of the plant’s installed capacity.

The proposed requirements are included in the CEA’s draft Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards for Construction of Electric Plants and Electric Lines) Second Amendment Regulations, 2026, notified on Sept. 3.