Drivers to Coal Phase-Down in India: Part 1 – Battery Cost Declines

This report is part of a series examining key drivers to accelerate India’s power system transition over the next decade. It aims to identify conditions conducive to accelerating decarbonisation of the power system in India. The focus is on highlighting priority areas for Indian policymakers and global stakeholders to prioritise. This report focuses on BESS cost decline as an important driver for reducing coal dependency in the Indian power sector. It explores the least-cost pathways for the supply and storage mix required to meet future electricity demand from 2024 to 2032. The analysis evaluates various scenarios of battery energy storage system (BESS) cost declines and their impact on coal generation and capacity buildup. We conducted our analysis using Ember’s PyPSA-based co-optimization model for India, which determines the least-cost generation and storage mix from 2023 to 2032. This model helps explore least-cost optimised pathways for India’s power system transition.