ACME Solar Holdings, the Gurugram based renewable energy developer, said integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) has reduced transmission capital expenditure by Rs two million (mn) per megawatt (MW) and supported its shift to firm and dispatchable renewable energy. Management said deployment of BESS at existing sites optimises transmission infrastructure and avoids execution and right of way challenges. The approach is expected to enable early cash flow generation and integration with long term power purchase agreements.

The company has raised its storage deployment guidance and plans to operationalise two GWh in Q4 FY26 and another two GWh in Q1 FY27, targeting 10 GWh by the end of calendar year 2027. The portfolio presently stands at 16 GWh of BESS capacity, with about 1,150 MWh delivered to three sites and entering commissioning. To back the FY27 expansion the company said it has secured most battery supply, including an order for five GWh within the planned budget.

Battery integration also reduces inter state transmission system charges and helps mitigate risks from deviation settlement mechanism regulations by improving predictability and stability of output. A standalone solar project may face charges of about one rupee thirty paise to one rupee forty paise per unit, whereas projects with storage can cut this to around eighty paise and FDRE projects to roughly thirty to forty paise per unit. Management said these reductions materially lower delivery costs and improve project economics.

ACME management indicated battery storage could become a meaningful earnings driver and estimated that one GWh can generate roughly Rs 1.7 billion (bn) in annual EBITDA assuming an Rs five per unit arbitrage. The company is deploying BESS to provide base load renewable power comparable with traditional thermal generation and has sought patents for optimising combinations of solar, wind and battery storage to deliver round the clock supply. Procurement typically comes from Chinese suppliers under fixed price short term contracts denominated in US dollars and the company said recent changes to export rebate policies will not affect its current plans.