As Large Storage Orders Emerge In India too, Energy Storage Emerges As Saviour For Chinese Firms

On September 8, SaurEnergy carried two stories on large storage orders placed with Chinese firms by leading Indian developers. The orders, from Acme Solar and Prozeal Energy for 2 GWh and 1 GWh of energy storage systems, are to be delivered over the next 6-12 months. The orders marked not just progress on India's energy storage push, but perhaps, the harbinger of many more such orders as India seeks to fill the gaps in its grid with energy storage to account for higher green energy as well as rising demand from segments like C&I.  For Chinese firms, many of whom like Trina and Jinko had expanded into storage earlier, the demand is welcome, at a time their solar business has been hit by the familiar cycle of low prices. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for Energy Storage targets 100GW of new capacity by 2030 and a 30% reduction in per-unit costs by 2025. It’s betting big that energy storage—whether battery, compressed air, or thermal—will be the keystone of its carbon-neutral future.

Chinese Firms See Storage as Key To Future Success

At a time when US measures to slow down green energy additions by all measures including tariffs have hurt prospects in a market that delivers 50% of export profits,  Chinese firms hope for relief from other markets that have stepped u notably the middle east, Africa, Europe and now, India. While new 'anti-involution' push backed by the Chinese government is expected to provide relief to solar manufacturers from the debilitating price wars that saw over two thirds of listed solar firms in China's stock markets  show contracting revenues, a third showed  losses for H1 this year. Those losses, in a sector where China dominates globally, are no longer considered acceptable, much like in wind energy and EVs and mobility batteries. Expect the new anti-involution measures and other policies to start showing results at some stage. But in the meantime, large storage orders from acoss the world are certainly helping as well. In India for instance, the Viability Gap Funding for 30 GWh BESS announced by the Government of India on June 10, 2025 has already seen a slew of tenders, and it looks very likely that the whole quota will be used up by early next year. With almost all orders going to Chinese firms.

Shanghai-based Jinko Solar for instance is hoping to take its energy storage business to an annual shipment target of 6 gigawatt-hours, making it the company's second-largest business growth point.

It's a similar plan at another solar manufacturer, CSI Solar that also hopes storage will become its second largest segment. 

Chinese Inverter firms, which also dominate globally, have also rolled out storage offerings, enabling faster growth domestically as well as in key markets like the Middle East, US, Europe and soon, India. You will be hardpressed to find non-Chinese big battery projects, beyond the US and Australia for instance, where Tesla had some early success but is struggling to compete effectively.   

Strong Interest For Storage Projects In India 

India's large storage pipeline of tendered projects that is now heading towards  20 GWh, could benefit a lot if prices maintain their current trajectory, providing developers a much needed respite from rising cost pressures  on the main solar business, where DCR requirements and now, possible GST clawbacks from buyers have added some uncertainty on margins. In fact, firms like Acme Solar and JSW Energy have made a conscious call to bid more for large storage backed tenders, instead of plain vanilla Solar or even Hybrid tenders involving solar and wind.  Recent tenders like the RVUNL standalone BESS tender (1000 MW / 2000 MWh have seen bids from as many as 50 firms, indicating just how strong the interest is to find a foothold in the energy storage business among developers.