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Q What technological factors, such as choice of chemis- try, depth of discharge, and storage duration, guide your decisions when designing hybrid projects for different states or DISCOM requirements? Pankaj Tyagi: When we design hybrid projects, the choice of technology is driven by commercially proven performance, application needs, and long-term reliability for each state or DISCOM requirement. Today, LFP remains the dominant chemistry for stationary storage because it is mature, safe, and cost-effective, while NMC is available but used selective - ly. Emerging chemistries like sodium-ion are promising but not yet mature for commercial deployment. Depth of Discharge, or DoD, is another critical parameter. It is always a balance between usable energy and cycle life. For most peak shifting applications, we typically work with 95 to 100 percent DoD, ensuring maximum usable capacity while maintaining a viable life cycle. Since most DISCOMs currently focus on power shifting and peak management, the core application remains consistent. However, each PPA varies in terms of usable energy require - ment, number of cycles, and dispatch profile. This makes it essential to analyse DoD, degradation patterns, and state of health, ensuring the storage system meets long term perfor - mance obligations tailored to each state or utility’s needs. Q Which industrial sectors are showing the strongest in- terest in adopting hybrid solutions, and what are the key drivers? Pankaj Tyagi: Storage duration in hybrid projects is primar - ily driven by the PPA structure and the end user’s power requirements. Two to four hours is common for peak shift - ing under SECI and SJVN tenders, while RTC or 24×7 con - tracts require four to eight hours, or multi-cycle flexibility, to meet firm supply blocks, with some bids now specifying six hour storage. Current battery technologies are best op - timised for two to four hour durations, and slower discharge profiles do not negatively impact battery performance. The growing interest in hybrid solutions is also linked to market dynamics. GDAM prices during solar hours are at re - cord lows due to abundant daytime generation, which makes non-solar hour supply far more valuable for states and large consumers. As a result, sectors with high reliability needs, particularly data centres and IT that require uninterrupted 24×7 renewable power, are emerging as key adopters of stor - age-integrated hybrid solutions. Q BluPine recently adopted waterless robotic mod- ule-cleaning systems through a partnership with LEAPTING for its 100 MW Gujarat projects. What benefits have you observed in performance, water savings, and O&M cost reduction? Pankaj Tyagi: Beyond the clear reduction in O&M costs, the major benefits we have observed from adopting waterless ro - botic module-cleaning systems are lower soiling and higher generation, thanks to more consistent cleaning cycles. The shift has also eliminated any dependence on unskilled local labour for module cleaning, improving operational reliabil - ity. Additionally, robotic cleaning is environment-friendly, with water requirements greatly reduced, resulting in signif - icant water savings across the project. Q How is BluPine preparing for the next phase of India’s energy transition, particularly large-scale adoption of energy storage under national schemes or SECI tenders? Pankaj Tyagi: Large-scale battery utilisation will be essen - tial for India to come anywhere close to its national renew - able energy installation goals, and BluPine is aligning its strategy accordingly. We are actively developing a robust battery supply chain, along with the necessary certification and testing frame - works to support future storage-integrated projects. At the same time, we are working closely with Indian suppliers to build an indigenous battery ecosystem, ensuring readiness for the upcoming wave of national schemes and SECI stor - age tenders. energetica INDIA- February_2026 45 INTERVIEW