Pumped storage: its role in India’s clean energy transition

As the world faces global warming, there is an increasing focus on electricity generation from renewable energy sources. It is well known that pumped-storage schemes act as grid-scale battery storage and help to improve system reliability. In view of the many ancillary benefits, the Government of India has developed policies to promote pumped-storage schemes along with more conventional hydropower development. This is particularly important as the country is integrating more and more wind and solar powerplants in the power system. The paper gives details of some recent developments, and mention is made of recent government incentive schemes to encourage the more extensive development of hydropower and pumped storage.