Battery Hubs and Rooftops: How Distributed Storage Is Supercharging India’s Solar Push

India’s decentralised solar story in 2025 is now a two-part narrative: rapid rooftop adoption and a parallel surge in battery-storage deployments that together improve resilience, self-consumption and value for households and small businesses.

Why storage matters now

Rooftop panels alone reduce bills, but pairing them with batteries converts variable solar into usable, on-demand power. India recorded notable growth in storage activity during 2025, with several hundred MWh of projects added or in development — a trend that underpins local backup, time-shifting and better self-consumption. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Policy push — useful but incomplete

Central schemes such as PM-KUSUM and residential programmes have been essential in seeding demand and supporting farmers and households, but PM-KUSUM as implemented had reached only a portion of its target by early December 2025 — underscoring the difference between policy intent and on-the-ground rollout. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Where investment is flowing

Domestic manufacturing incentives, including the PLI push and multilateral financing, are directing investment into module and storage supply chains. International institutions and development banks have also signalled support for rooftop and storage expansion to accelerate access. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

What households should consider

If you’re thinking about a rooftop + battery system: check product warranties, choose smart inverters with grid-support features, evaluate battery chemistry and lifecycle, and ask vendors for real performance data (annual kWh yield, degradation and monitoring). Contractors should also confirm local net-metering and interconnection rules.

Opportunities & risks for local vendors

For local install firms, the combination of rising rooftop demand and storage creates new revenue streams (design, financing, maintenance). But supply-chain bottlenecks, variable state policies and quality control remain risks — making transparent documentation and certification important differentiators.