JVVNL and Global Energy Alliance Plan Sodium-Ion BESS in Jaipur

Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam (JVVNL) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop India’s first sodium-ion Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) pilot at the distribution-transformer level. Following the MoU, the two organisations issued a Request for Proposal (RfP) at the Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) 2026 for the 250 kW / 250 kWh pilot at K.L. Saini Stadium in Jaipur. The initiative will assess the performance and potential applications of sodium-ion storage in managing local peak demand and improving the utilisation of rooftop solar generation.

The pilot will test sodium-ion battery technology under actual distribution-network conditions, including Rajasthan’s high summer temperatures. By locating storage at the distribution-transformer level, the project will assess whether batteries deployed closer to electricity consumers can help manage peak loading, make better use of locally generated solar power and potentially defer certain network upgrades. The project will also examine sodium-ion technology as an alternative to established battery chemistries, particularly lithium-ion.

Under the MoU, JVVNL will provide the project site, a dedicated team and operational data and the Global Energy Alliance will provide technical support across system design and performance monitoring, and train JVVNL engineers. The two organisations will document and share the findings to help other distribution companies assess the suitability of sodium-ion storage for their networks.

Commenting on the initiative, Arti Dogra, Energy Secretary, Government of Rajasthan and Chairperson, Rajasthan DISCOMS, said, “As renewable energy generation grows in Rajasthan, the strain shows first at the local transformer. This pilot lets us test on our own network and in our own climatic conditions, whether storage that avoids lithium can ease that strain. What we learn will help us plan storage across the network with more confidence.”

The pilot will assess the technical efficiency and reliability of sodium-ion storage on a working distribution network, including its performance in Rajasthan’s summer heat; its potential to reduce transformer peak loading and improve solar-energy utilisation; and its safety performance, including thermal behaviour and risks associated with thermal runaway. It will also examine costs, degradation and lifecycle benefits against established battery technologies, particularly lithium-ion and conventional network upgrades.

The findings will provide a basis for evaluating where sodium-ion storage could be a technically and commercially viable option for Indian distribution utilities. The objective is to establish evidence from field operations rather than presume the superiority of one battery chemistry over another.

Tanya Singhal, Vice President and Country Head - India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, said, “Storage will be central to India’s grids, and utilities should have more than one credible chemistry to choose from. Testing sodium-ion on a working transformer in Rajasthan’s conditions gives utilities evidence instead of assumptions. We are glad to do this with JVVNL and to share what we learn with DISCOMs across India.”

The initiative builds on the existing partnership between JVVNL and the Global Energy Alliance. By combining network-level insights with a field demonstration of emerging storage technology, the pilot will generate practical evidence to inform future decisions on distributed energy storage and distribution-grid modernisation in India.