Wind-Solar Hybrid with BESS – A Viable Solution for the Manufacturing Sector
In the context of growing technological advancement and rising energy demand, India faces an urgent need for advanced energy storage and distribution solutions. Batteries are at the forefront of this energy transition.
April 13, 2026. By News Bureau
However, the Union Budget for FY2026-2027, which emphasises manufacturing, risks increasing emissions unless energy use and sourcing are managed wisely. In the context of growing technological advancement and rising energy demand, India faces an urgent need for advanced energy storage and distribution solutions. Batteries are at the forefront of this energy transition. They store electricity as chemical energy and release it on demand, playing a vital role in integrating renewable energy, powering electric vehicles, and supporting a multitude of other applications across modern industry and infrastructure.
Wind-Solar Hybrid for Manufacturing Facilities
Despite the rapid progress, challenges remain. Solar power, for example, is most productive at midday but tapers off in the evening, precisely when energy demand peaks. Wind energy, while abundant, is inherently variable and can result in unpredictable power supply gaps. These limitations necessitate retaining older, more polluting coal-fired plants as backup, resulting in inefficiencies and impeding the realisation of a truly clean grid.
Wind-solar hybrid systems – which combine the strengths of both resources – are emerging as one of India’s most promising renewable energy solutions. These hybrids leverage abundant natural resources, enhance grid stability, and improve reliability across diverse geographies.
For manufacturers, the viability of these systems offers several key benefits:
* Round-the-Clock Power: Integrating BESS enables surplus wind or solar energy generated during peak periods to be stored and used during low-output periods, ensuring a continuous, reliable power supply – vital for manufacturing operations.
* Cost Efficiency and Reduced Dependence: Hybrid systems lower reliance on grid electricity and diesel generators, protecting manufacturers from volatile fuel prices. The combination of wind and solar increases capacity utilisation and enhances investment returns.
* Peak Load Management and Arbitrage: BESS enables manufacturers to store energy when prices are low and deploy it during high-demand periods, reducing peak electricity charges and optimising operational costs.
* Operational Stability: Hybrid systems minimise power interruptions, maintaining voltage and frequency stability, crucial for manufacturing processes that require uninterrupted power, especially in regions with weak grids.
Recognising these challenges, India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued the foundational National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy in 2018. This policy defines hybrid renewable systems and aims to promote more efficient use of both land and transmission infrastructure. It encourages the co-location of wind and solar assets and the integration of battery storage to deliver more dependable and less variable energy to the grid.
Technologically Advanced Batteries
Recent technological advances have significantly boosted battery storage capacities and reduced costs. Lithium-ion batteries dominate the sector due to their high energy density, long operational life, and recyclability. Ongoing innovation is leading to the development of new battery chemistries and designs that prioritise sustainability and recyclability, demonstrating the sector’s alignment with India’s environmental aspirations. These advancements make batteries indispensable for achieving national sustainability and decarbonisation goals.
Batteries are not just about maximising renewable energy utilisation; they are also central to India’s energy security. Battery-based systems reduce reliance on conventional fossil-fuel power plants and ensure that essential infrastructure remains operational during grid disruptions. In the context of advanced power distribution networks, like microgrids and smart grids, batteries help stabilise energy supply, balance fluctuating demand, and prevent overloads. This leads to higher reliability and resilience across the energy system, attributes vital for uninterrupted industrial operations.
The Need for Battery Energy Storage
To further support grid stability and optimise renewable energy use, India is investing in hybrid and multi-energy storage systems. Among these, wave-driven compressed air energy storage stands out for its high conversion efficiency and adaptability to offshore environments. Gravity-based energy storage offers a scalable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional batteries. Advanced emergency planning – leveraging state-of-the-art optimisation algorithms – improves storage deployment and grid resilience during extreme weather events such as hurricanes. Coordinated reconfiguration strategies further strengthen the resilience of integrated electricity and district heating systems, enabling rapid service restoration during natural disasters through multi-stage optimisation.
India’s clean energy transition, underpinned by these innovations in storage and grid management, is swiftly becoming a defining chapter in the global narrative on sustainable development. By late 2025, India surpassed 250 GW of installed renewable energy capacity, driven by aggressive adoption of solar and wind power. At COP26, India pledged to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030, a goal it reached five years early, establishing itself as a global frontrunner in clean energy investment and deployment.
Yet, India’s energy transition is more than the widespread adoption of mature technologies. The country is fostering a dynamic energy-technology innovation ecosystem, bringing together policymakers, financiers, industry leaders, research institutions, and consumers to accelerate innovation from pilot projects to a nationwide scale. International experience shows that such ecosystem-based approaches – explicitly mapping stakeholders, innovation domains, and enabling policies – are crucial for accelerating technology adoption and managing systemic transitions.
In summary, India’s integrated approach – combining manufacturing expansion, energy innovation, and policy support – is positioning the country as a leader in sustainable industrialisation. By capitalising on advanced energy storage solutions and hybrid renewable energy systems, India’s manufacturing is charting a course toward robust, environmentally responsible, resilient economic growth.
- Manan Thakkar, Co-founder and Managing Director, Prozeal Green Energy Ltd.
please contact: contact@energetica-india.net.
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