Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop India’s first sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) pilot at the distribution-transformer level. Following the agreement, the two organisations issued a joint Request for Proposal (RfP) at the Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) 2026 for a 250 kW / 250 kWh project at K.L. Saini Stadium in Jaipur.
The initiative aims to evaluate the performance of sodium-ion battery technology under actual distribution-network conditions, including Rajasthan’s high summer temperatures. The project will examine whether storage deployed closer to electricity consumers can help manage peak demand, improve rooftop solar energy utilisation and potentially defer certain network upgrades.
The project will also assess sodium-ion technology as an alternative to established battery chemistries, particularly lithium-ion, focusing on its technical performance, safety, reliability and commercial viability.
Under the MoU, JVVNL will provide the project site, a dedicated team and operational data, while the Global Energy Alliance will offer technical support for system design and performance monitoring, along with training for JVVNL engineers. Both organisations will document and share the findings to support other distribution companies in evaluating sodium-ion storage applications.
Commenting on the initiative, Arti Dogra, Energy Secretary, Government of Rajasthan and Chairperson, Rajasthan DISCOMS, said, “As renewable energy generation grows in Rajasthan, the strain shows first at the local transformer. This pilot lets us test on our own network and in our own climatic conditions, whether storage that avoids lithium can ease that strain. What we learn will help us plan storage across the network with more confidence.”
The technical assessment will cover battery efficiency, degradation, thermal behaviour and safety risks, including the potential for thermal runaway. It will also compare lifecycle costs and benefits with lithium-ion batteries and conventional network upgrades. The findings will help determine where sodium-ion storage could provide a technically and commercially viable solution for Indian distribution utilities, based on field evidence rather than assumptions about battery chemistry.
Tanya Singhal, Vice President and Country Head – India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, said, “Storage will be central to India’s grids, and utilities should have more than one credible chemistry to choose from. Testing sodium-ion on a working transformer in Rajasthan’s conditions gives utilities evidence instead of assumptions. We are glad to do this with JVVNL and to share what we learn with DISCOMs across India.”
The initiative builds on the existing partnership between JVVNL and the Global Energy Alliance, which includes work on digital twins to strengthen understanding of JVVNL’s distribution network. JVVNL is also one of the Champion Utilities under the Global Energy Alliance’s India Grids of the Future Accelerator, which supports utilities in improving network efficiency, integrating renewable energy and maintaining reliable electricity supply as demand grows.
By combining network-level insights with field testing of emerging battery technology, the project is expected to provide practical evidence to guide future distributed energy storage deployment and distribution-grid modernisation across India.
