SolarEra to Build 5 GWh Battery Storage Manufacturing and Integration Plant at Talegaon, Pune

Pune-based solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company SolarEra Green Renewables has announced plans to set up a battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturing and integration facility with an annual capacity of 5 GWh in the Talegaon Industrial Area near Pune, Maharashtra. According to the company’s announcement, it will invest about ₹250 crore in the project, which is scheduled to be commissioned in July 2027.

The facility will be developed through Enercache Storage System, a step-down subsidiary of SolarEra. The company said it has already secured a 180,000 sq ft industrial building for the manufacturing operations.

Project at a Glance

Source: SolarEra company announcement

Integration-Led Model with In-House EMS

As per the company, rather than producing battery cells, the Talegaon plant will assemble and integrate complete BESS using cells procured from external suppliers. Each system will run on SolarEra’s indigenously developed energy management system (EMS), which handles battery monitoring, state-of-charge management, peak shaving and optimisation of renewable energy use. Grid interaction functions will be configured according to the requirements of individual projects.

The integrated systems are aimed at two segments: utility-scale renewable energy projects and commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers. According to the company, the facility will supply its own renewable energy projects while also offering storage solutions to external customers.

From Solar EPC to Energy Storage

Established in 2018, SolarEra provides solar energy solutions mainly to C&I clients and operates across 12 Indian states, with international work in Hong Kong and the Maldives. Its service portfolio covers turnkey EPC, operation and maintenance, re-engineering of existing plants, analytics and advisory, and high-tension infrastructure services. The company is also active in project development and independent power production.

The company has stated that it is involved in projects under Maharashtra’s Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0 (MSKVY 2.0) and the central government’s PM-KUSUM programme. Administered by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL), MSKVY 2.0 aims to solarise 30% of agricultural feeders through 7,000 MW of decentralised solar plants of 0.5 MW to 25 MW, located within 5–10 km of agriculture-dominated substations, to provide farmers with reliable daytime power.

Indigenous EMS Aligns with Central Procurement Rules

The focus on an in-house EMS matches recent Ministry of Power requirements for publicly supported storage projects. An amendment to the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) guidelines issued on 4 August 2025 mandated that EMS application software for all BESS capacity under the scheme supported by the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) must be developed in India.

A follow-up order dated 24 December 2025, addressed to 15 beneficiary states including Maharashtra and to NTPC, requires at least 20% of the total project cost in VGF-backed BESS procurements to be local content, with the indigenous EMS counted within that threshold. Since BESS is not yet notified for exclusive procurement from Class-I local suppliers, both Class-I and Class-II local suppliers remain eligible to bid. For integrators relying on imported cells, a domestically developed EMS therefore forms a key part of meeting the local-content condition.

Policy Support Driving Storage Demand

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, citing the Central Electricity Authority’s National Electricity Plan 2023, India’s BESS requirement is projected at 34.72 GWh in 2026-27, rising to 236.22 GWh in 2031-32 and to an estimated 1,840 GWh by 2047. The Ministry of Power has also notified an Energy Storage Obligation trajectory that rises from 1% in FY 2023-24 to 4% by FY 2029-30.

Central funding has expanded alongside these projections. The first VGF scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2023 with budgetary support of ₹3,760 crore, was scaled up from 4,000 MWh to 13,200 MWh within the same allocation as battery prices declined. The Ministry of Power subsequently issued separate VGF guidelines on 9 June 2025 for BESS funded through the PSDF, covering 15 beneficiary states, including Maharashtra, along with NTPC. These guidelines were amended in September 2025 to require developers to achieve financial closure within six months of signing the Battery Energy Storage Purchase Agreement.

Most recently, on 30 September 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III) scheme with a total outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore. The scheme includes ₹50,000 crore for 50 GWh of BESS to be deployed at renewable energy generator ends or other locations important for grid flexibility, with completion targeted by FY 2032-33. The Cabinet noted that BESS manufacturing and deployment under the scheme will create additional employment in the domestic energy storage industry.

Outlook

With commissioning planned for July 2027, the Talegaon facility is expected to begin operations as storage capacity awarded under the VGF tranches and GEC-III moves into execution. Timely commissioning, a stable supply of battery cells and continued compliance with local-content norms will be central to how effectively SolarEra converts this growing demand into orders for its integrated storage systems.

Official References

1. Press Information Bureau – Cabinet approves Green Energy Corridor Phase-III scheme with Battery Energy Storage Systems (30 September 2026): https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2316948
2. Press Information Bureau – Viability Gap Funding for Battery Energy Storage Systems (3 April 2025): https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2118325
3. Ministry of Power – Order on minimum 20% local content for BESS under the VGF Scheme (24 December 2025): https://www.seci.co.in/uploads/tenders/Annexure-IV_Make_in_India_Order.pdf
4. Ministry of Power – Amendment to VGF Guidelines for BESS funded through PSDF (22 September 2025): https://www.seci.co.in/uploads/tenders/Annexure-I_BESS_VGF_Guidelines_with_Amendments.pdf
5. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – Energy Storage Systems (ESS) Overview: https://mnre.gov.in/en/energy-storage-systemsess-overview/
6. MSEDCL – Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0 (Scheme FAQ): https://mahadiscom.in/solar-mskvy/faq.php
7. SolarEra Green Renewables – Official Website: https://solar-era.co.in/