Cumulative energy storage system (ESS) installations in India's commercial and industrial (C&I) sector are projected to expand more than 30-fold — from under 1 GWh in 2025 to between 23 GWh and 31 GWh by 2032, according to a joint report by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and Customized Energy Solutions (CES) released on 18 June 2026. The findings mark one of the most ambitious storage growth projections for any emerging market segment in South Asia.

Key Drivers Behind the Surge

The report attributes the projected leap to a confluence of structural forces: rising electricity tariffs, growing demand for reliable and high-quality power supply, rapid renewable energy adoption, cost-optimisation pressures, and India's national decarbonisation commitments. Together, these factors are pushing C&I consumers to treat energy storage not as a contingency measure but as a core operational asset.

This comes amid a broader national push to integrate storage into India's energy transition, with the Centre having set aggressive targets for renewable capacity addition over the next decade.

Two Scenarios, One Direction

The report models two distinct growth trajectories. Under the Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, ESS installations in the C&I segment are expected to reach 22–23 GWh by 2032. The more optimistic Rapid Adoption (RA) scenario — contingent on market-friendly regulatory reforms and continued technological advancement — could push installations to 31 GWh within the same timeframe.

The gap between the two scenarios underscores how critical policy clarity will be in determining whether India captures the upper end of its storage potential.

What Industry Leaders Said

Debmalya Sen, President of IESA, said: 'India's C&I energy storage market is at a pivotal moment. The sector is transitioning from backup and peak shaving to a strategic asset for energy optimisation, resilience, and decarbonisation. The insights from this report will help stakeholders shift from reactive power management to proactive energy leadership.'

Vinayak Walimbe, Managing Director of CES, noted that C&I consumers can now make smarter, data-driven decisions that drive both cost savings and sustainability, given regulatory clarity, proven business models, and advanced storage technologies.

Report to Debut at India Energy Storage Week 2026

The findings will be formally presented at the 12th India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2026, scheduled for 8–10 July 2026 at Yashobhoomi (IICC), New Delhi. The event — billed as a global platform for clean energy transition — will bring together the full value chain spanning e-mobility, battery manufacturing, recycling, stationary storage, and green hydrogen.

The conference is expected to host over 200 exhibitors and more than 10,000 industry leaders from over 30 countries, facilitating policy advocacy, technical exchange, and high-impact networking. Notably, this is the twelfth consecutive edition of the event, reflecting sustained institutional momentum behind India's storage ecosystem.

With the C&I segment historically underserved by grid reliability, the projected 30x growth signals a structural inflection — one that will test whether India's regulatory and manufacturing infrastructure can keep pace with demand.