As India’s power grid becomes increasingly complex due to rising renewable energy penetration, the need for a stable grid has never been more pressing. With the growing share of variable solar and wind power in the energy mix, battery energy storage systems are emerging as a critical enabler, helping bridge the gap between generation and consumption while maintaining grid balance.

Energy banking enables renewable energy developers to inject surplus power into the grid for withdrawal during periods when needed, thereby optimizing energy utilization. This mechanism ensures flexible energy management for developers and generates additional revenue for DISCOMs through associated banking charges.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy issued revised draft guidelines setting the validity of the prototype certificate for wind turbine at three years. The draft guidelines include a framework for installing prototype wind turbine models. They will apply to all wind turbine manufacturers in India and will be implemented by the National Institute of Wind Energy, Chennai.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy mandated generating and inputting the 16-digit Domestic Content Requirement certificate number on the PM Surya Ghar portal to prevent duplicate module serial number issues. Vendors will no longer be allowed to enter the serial numbers manually, and the integrated DCR and PM Surya Ghar portal will auto-generate the module serial numbers. The process will likely remove any possibility of inadvertent errors while entering module serial numbers and remove chances of duplicate serial number issues.

The Ministry of Power (MoP) launched an indigenously developed resource adequacy model STELLAR, enabling distribution companies to manage their power resources effectively. The MoP will distribute this software model to all the states/DISCOMs free of cost. The tool was launched in collaboration with the Central Electricity Authority, The Lantau Group, and the Asian Development Bank under the technical assistance program.

The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission determined the aggregate revenue requirement, wheeling tariff, and retail supply tariff for the financial year 2025-26, retaining the existing tariff structure across all consumer categories. The order applies to the four private distribution companies in Odisha- TP Central Odisha Distribution, TP Northern Odisha Distribution, TP Western Odisha Distribution, and TP Southern Odisha Distribution.

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) not to levy wheeling charges and losses on solar open access consumers not using the distribution company’s distribution system or end-to-end dedicated transmission lines. It said MSEDCL must adjust the wheeling losses in the solar project developers’ next billing cycle.

The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission approved Uttarakhand Power Corporation’s additional surcharge of ₹1.14 (~$0.013)/kWh for open access power consumers. The additional surcharge will be effective between April 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. The petitioner, UPCL, approached the Commission to approve levying an additional surcharge of ₹1.2 (~$0.013)/kWh from April 2025 to September 2025.

The Maharashtra Energy Development Agency invited bids for a cumulative capacity of 1.4 MW grid-connected rooftop and ground-mounted solar projects. The projects span the Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Chandrapur, and Nagpur districts. The scope of work includes the survey, design, fabrication, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of the grid-connected solar projects. A 5-year comprehensive maintenance contract is also a standard requirement for the successful bidders.