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Sodium-ion battery pilot: Jaipur Discom to test storage at transformer level, first in India

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A sodium-ion battery energy storage pilot will be set up at the distribution transformer level in Jaipur, the Rajasthan government said on 28 October 2026. Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam (Jaipur Discom) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) described it as the country’s first such project.

sodium-ion battery: Photograph released by DIPR Rajasthan with its release on the Jaipur Discom pilot
Photograph released by DIPR Rajasthan with its release on the Jaipur Discom pilot Photo: DIPR Rajasthan (official handout, free to use with credit).

Jaipur Discom sodium-ion battery pilot: the details

On the second day of a national conference of power distribution companies in Jaipur, the two organisations issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a 250 kilowatt / 250 kilowatt-hour pilot at the K L Saini Stadium in Jaipur, the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said. The project will assess how well sodium-ion storage can manage peak local electricity demand in the Mansarovar area and make better use of power from rooftop solar. By placing storage near consumers, at the transformer, it will test how much this helps keep supply uninterrupted when demand on the transformer peaks. It will also test sodium-ion technology as an alternative to common battery chemistries such as lithium-ion.

Key Facts

  • Pilot: 250 kW / 250 kWh sodium-ion storage
  • Site: K L Saini Stadium, Jaipur (Mansarovar area)
  • Partners: Jaipur Discom and GEAPP
  • Stage: request for proposals issued, 28 Oct 2026
  • Billed as India’s first at transformer level

Who does what in the energy storage project

Under the arrangement, Jaipur Discom will provide the site, technical staff and operating data. GEAPP will handle the system design, performance monitoring and technical support, and will train the discom’s engineers. Both organisations will share the findings so that other distribution companies in India can judge whether sodium-ion storage suits their own networks, DIPR said. GEAPP is a global non-profit that builds partnerships among public, private and philanthropic bodies to speed up clean energy and economic opportunity. The release did not give a cost or a completion date for the pilot. DIPR said the project would provide practical, evidence-based information for future decisions on decentralised energy storage and grid modernisation in India.

Aarti Dogra on peak demand and rooftop solar

Aarti Dogra, Secretary (Energy) and Chairperson of the Rajasthan discoms, said the first impact of rising peak demand on the power system shows up at the distribution transformer. She said the pilot would help make the state’s network more effective, store solar power from rooftop systems, and test in Rajasthan’s climate how far storage alternatives to lithium-ion can ease that pressure. GEAPP’s India country head Tanya Singhal said energy storage would play an important role in India’s grid and that discoms should have more than one reliable battery technology to choose from. Testing on a working transformer in Rajasthan conditions would let utilities decide on real data rather than estimates, she said. She said experience from the project would help the state make more reliable decisions on installing storage in distribution networks.

Why It Matters: If sodium-ion storage works in Rajasthan's heat, discoms could cut peak-hour strain and store more rooftop solar without relying only on lithium-ion batteries.

Also on TrendDesh: Isarda-Dausa drinking water project: water reaches filter plant, 299 km of 341 km pipeline laid · Rajasthan roads: PWD says 51,790 km built with over Rs 37,527 crore in the current term

Source: DIPR Rajasthan release (Hindi) · DIPR Rajasthan: Distribution Utility Meet 2026 · Jaipur Discom · GEAPP

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