The Rajasthan government has taken another step forward in its efforts to make electricity more affordable and accessible to the public, especially for consumers who are not able to install solar panels on their rooftops. As part of the recently launched “150 units Nishulk Bijli Yojana” and the “PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana,” a plan is now being worked out to install community-based solar plants on the rooftops of 33/11 kV sub-station buildings. This approach is expected to benefit households that cannot set up their own rooftop systems while ensuring a larger share of solar power is brought into the grid in a structured way.
An important part of this plan involves exploring the use of Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, alongside these rooftop solar plants. BESS is being considered to help manage surplus generation, improve reliability, and provide backup during peak demand periods. To evaluate the actual requirement of storage systems in the state, the government has instructed a detailed manual load survey to be carried out across all 33/11 kV sub-stations that are linked to PM-KUSUM solar plants. This survey is crucial to understand the integration challenges that arise when large-scale solar power is injected into the grid and to determine whether battery storage will be necessary to stabilize supply.
The survey period was set between June 1 and June 15, 2025, and officials were directed to collect specific and detailed information from all relevant substations. This included preparing a list of sub-stations with PM-KUSUM solar plants that had reported operational issues, such as surplus injection of power into the grid or back-feed problems. The survey also required gathering hourly demand data for each of the sub-stations, including both peak demand and off-peak demand hours, to create a complete picture of how electricity usage patterns compare with solar generation profiles. Alongside this, the officials were asked to note solar injection patterns at each sub-station and record any instances where power flowed from lower voltage levels to higher voltage levels, which indicates reverse power flow and poses grid stability challenges.
Once the data was collected, officials were tasked with preparing comparative charts that map load demand against solar generation across different hours of the day. These charts are meant to provide a clear understanding of how much surplus solar power is being generated and at what specific times during the day this occurs. Identifying these patterns is expected to help determine the appropriate size and placement of BESS units under the state’s plan. The final findings will serve as the technical foundation for the Discoms to develop their official proposal for deploying battery storage systems alongside rooftop solar projects.
The government has emphasized the urgency of the exercise by directing that the analysis and final report based on the 15 days of data should be completed and submitted within seven days of the letter’s issuance. The official letter, dated September 4, 2025, was issued by the Chairman of Discoms, Arti Dogra, and addressed to the Superintending Engineer (O&M) of Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited. Copies of the letter were also sent to other concerned officials for information and necessary action. This initiative reflects a proactive approach to ensure that solar expansion, under major schemes like PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM, is matched with the necessary storage infrastructure for a reliable, sustainable, and consumer-friendly power supply system.
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