Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop India’s first sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) pilot at the distribution-transformer level in Rajasthan. The initiative aims to evaluate the technology’s performance under real operating conditions and assess its potential to support peak-demand management, improve rooftop solar utilization and strengthen electricity distribution networks.
Following the MoU, the two organizations issued a Request for Proposal (RfP) at the Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) 2026 for a 250 kW / 250 kWh sodium-ion battery storage pilot at K.L. Saini Stadium in Jaipur. The project will test whether deploying energy storage closer to consumers can help distribution utilities manage local electricity demand and improve the integration of renewable energy into the grid.
The pilot will evaluate sodium-ion battery technology under actual distribution-network conditions, including Rajasthan’s high summer temperatures. By installing the system at the distribution-transformer level, the project will examine its ability to reduce peak loading, make better use of locally generated rooftop solar power and potentially defer certain distribution network upgrades.
The initiative will also assess sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to established battery technologies, particularly lithium-ion. The assessment will focus on technical efficiency, operational reliability, safety, cost and lifecycle performance to determine whether sodium-ion storage could offer a suitable option for Indian distribution companies.
Under the agreement, JVVNL will provide the project site, a dedicated team and operational data required for implementation and assessment. The Global Energy Alliance will provide technical support for system design and performance monitoring and train JVVNL engineers. Both organizations will document and share the findings to help other distribution utilities evaluate the technology for their respective networks.
Arti Dogra, Energy Secretary, Government of Rajasthan and Chairperson of Rajasthan DISCOMs, said the pilot would help assess how storage technologies that do not rely on lithium could address distribution-level challenges under local operating and climatic conditions. She noted that as renewable energy generation increases, pressure on the electricity network can become particularly visible at local transformers. The findings will support more informed planning for future energy storage deployment.
The project will examine several performance parameters, including the battery system’s ability to manage transformer peak loading, improve solar-energy utilization and operate reliably during extreme summer heat. Safety will also be a key focus, particularly the battery’s thermal behaviour and potential risks associated with thermal runaway.
In addition, the assessment will compare costs, degradation and lifecycle benefits with established battery technologies and conventional network upgrades. The objective is to establish evidence from field operations rather than assume that one battery chemistry is superior to another.
Tanya Singhal, Vice President and Country Head – India at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, said testing sodium-ion technology on a working transformer would provide utilities with practical evidence to inform their storage decisions. She added that the findings would be shared with distribution companies across India.
The initiative builds on the existing partnership between JVVNL and the Global Energy Alliance, which includes work on digital twins to improve understanding of the distribution network. JVVNL is also a Champion Utility under the alliance’s India Grids of the Future Accelerator, which supports improvements in network efficiency, renewable energy integration and electricity supply reliability.
The pilot is expected to provide practical insights into the technical and commercial viability of sodium-ion storage for Indian distribution utilities. Its findings could help inform future decisions on distributed energy storage, renewable energy integration and distribution-grid modernization as electricity demand continues to grow.
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