Govt to push AI solutions to improve grid stability, RE integration: Joshi

Energy minister Pralhad Joshi said AI-based tools will help tackle grid congestion, curtailment and renewable integration as India expands solar, wind and storage capacity

The government will push for artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technological solutions to address chronic issues, including power capacity curtailment due to grid congestion and the overall integration of renewable energy (RE) in the system, New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said here on Wednesday.

 

"In the coming days, all the issues coming up related to grid stability and curtailment will be addressed. Curtailment is to be reduced and we have to arrive at an AI-based technology solution. We have started work on that," he said while speaking on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit. 

The minister also said the cost of battery energy storage systems (BESS) is coming down as a result of the viability gap funding (VGF) scheme launched by the government, and that the overall requirement of BESS in the country is set to go up to 411 gigawatt (Gw) by 2032. 

 

"We are planning for that. In all the bids we have floated, the prices being discovered have gone down from ₹3.3 per unit earlier to ₹3.1 per unit now. Prices of battery storage will come down with scale, just like solar. This will revolutionise the energy sector," Joshi said.

 

The minister highlighted the “Global Mission on AI for Energy” as a platform for driving convergence between solar deployment and digital intelligence, enabling real-time optimisation and smarter grid management.

 

Joshi also said innovative models like "One Solar" web application developed by BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL), digital twin solutions for power discoms, and GIS-based distribution modernisation will address issues related to grid stability.

 

At a separate event, India on Wednesday launched a joint offshore wind taskforce with the United Kingdom (UK) in the presence of UK's Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron.

 

The taskforce will focus on seabed leasing frameworks, revenue-certainty mechanisms, infrastructure and supply chains, including port modernisation, local manufacturing, and specialised vessels, and financing and risk mitigation through blended finance structures and mobilisation of long-term capital.

 

India has identified offshore wind energy zones off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu along with grid planning. The National Institute of Wind Energy has conducted necessary studies and surveys for the initial projects. The government has introduced a ₹7,453 crore VGF scheme to support early projects.

 

Joshi said India’s installed non-fossil fuel-based power capacity has crossed 272 Gw, including 141 Gw of solar and 55 Gw of wind energy. The country has added over 35 Gw of solar and 4.61 Gw of wind capacity in the current financial year so far.