- Government plans PM-KUSUM 2.0 to address current scheme hurdles, says minister
- Modifications to PM-KUSUM to be reviewed by PM after consultations with Agriculture Ministry
- India has 9-10 GW battery storage, needs more for expanding renewable energy generation
The governemnt is working on key modifications to PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan), with a second version likely to address implementation hurdles in the existing scheme, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi told NDTV Profit in an exclusive interview. Joshi said the ministry is in consultation with the Agriculture Ministry on PM-KUSUM 2.0, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to extend the scheme with the required changes. He added that the proposal would be placed before the Prime Minister once the modifications are finalised.
The minister did not specify a timeline for its rollout or detail the changes under consideration.
Battery Storage Capacity Push
Joshi also said battery energy storage is not a missing link in India's energy transition. He, however, added that the growing availability of electricity during daytime hours has increased the need for storage capacity.
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India currently has around 9-10 gigawatts of energy storage capacity, according to the minister, but the country will need significantly more as renewable energy generation expands. The Centre has also earmarked Rs 6,000 crore in viability gap funding (VGF) support to encourage battery energy storage projects under India's Green Energy Corridor. Joshi said this support would help build 50 gigawatt-hours of battery energy storage capacity.
He expressed confidence that private investment would flow into the sector and said India could replicate its success in solar module manufacturing in battery storage.
PM Surya Ghar Installations
On the rooftop solar space, the minister said installations under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana have crossed 65 lakh households. The scheme is currently adding around one lakh households every six days. According to him, the Centre wants to accelerate the pace to one lakh new household installations every five days. Joshi expressed confidence that the target of reaching one crore households by March 2027 would be achieved.
This points to the government's next phase of renewable energy expansion- revisiting the implementation of its solar agriculture scheme, building storage capacity to support renewable power and speeding up rooftop solar adoption among households.
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