Jaipur discom and GEAPP plan a 250 kWh sodium-ion battery pilot at the distribution-transformer level
Jaipur's distribution company JVVNL and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet will pilot a 250 kW / 250 kWh sodium-ion battery at a distribution transformer in Jaipur. The pilot will test whether lithium-free storage can cut local peaks, ease transformer loading and absorb rooftop solar.
Rajasthan is about to test whether a battery chemistry made without lithium can help run an Indian city's power grid. Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (JVVNL), the state-owned distribution company for Jaipur, has signed an agreement with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) to pilot a 250 kW / 250 kWh sodium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) installed at the distribution-transformer level in Jaipur.
The two organisations issued a request for proposals (RfP) for the system at the Distribution Utility Meet (DUM) 2026 in Jaipur, according to reports published on 29–30 October. The partners describe it as India's first sodium-ion BESS pilot for a distribution company.
What the pilot will do
Most grid batteries in India are large lithium-ion systems connected at substations or next to solar and wind farms, like the 250 MW / 500 MWh system that IndiGrid recently brought online at Bhadla, also in Rajasthan. The Jaipur pilot is far smaller and sits much closer to consumers: at a distribution transformer, the last step before electricity reaches homes and shops.
According to the partners, the pilot will examine whether storage at that point can:
- Reduce local peak demand, by charging when demand is low and discharging during evening peaks;
- Ease transformer loading, which could delay costly upgrades to overloaded equipment;
- Absorb more rooftop solar, by storing midday output that would otherwise push voltages up or be wasted.
The pilot will also measure safety, reliability, degradation and lifecycle cost, and compare sodium-ion with both lithium-ion batteries and conventional grid upgrades. Under the agreement, JVVNL provides the site, operating data and staff, while GEAPP provides technical assistance, monitors performance and trains utility engineers.
Why sodium-ion
Sodium-ion batteries work much like lithium-ion cells, but they carry sodium ions instead of lithium ones. Their main drawback is lower energy density, so a sodium-ion pack is heavier and bulkier for the same storage. That matters little for a battery that sits in one place next to a transformer.
The advantages for India are significant:
- Raw materials: sodium is abundant and cheap, and common sodium-ion chemistries avoid lithium, cobalt and nickel, which India imports almost entirely.
- Safety: thermal behaviour depends on cell chemistry, pack construction and controls. The pilot will measure safety rather than assume sodium-ion is universally safer.
- Heat tolerance: operation in Rajasthan’s summer heat is one of the field conditions the pilot is intended to assess.
The need for field evidence
The pilot is intended to add field evidence from an Indian utility network. A distribution company running sodium-ion storage under real load, heat and dust, with results shared openly, could help them earn the trust of utilities across the country.
Why it matters
India's distribution companies are under pressure from rising evening peaks, the fast growth of rooftop solar under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, and ageing transformers. Small batteries spread across the network could address all three at once, but only if they are safe, cheap and reliable enough to deploy in large numbers. GEAPP and JVVNL say the pilot's results are meant to guide whether other utilities adopt the technology. A useful result from Jaipur could help make sodium-ion storage a standard tool for the distribution grid, subject to demonstrated performance, procurement choices and manufacturing availability.
Sources
- https://energyalliance.org/india-first-sodium-ion-battery-storage-pilot-jaipur/
- https://renewablewatch.in/news/jaipur-discom-and-geapp-to-pilot-sodium-ion-bess-12767326
- https://solarquarter.com/2026/10/29/rajasthan-to-pilot-indias-first-250-kw-sodium-ion-battery-storage-system/
- https://www.saurenergy.com/solar-energy-news/rajasthan-to-pilot-indias-first-sodium-ion-bess-with-geapp-jvvnl-12767052
- https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/jvvnl-and-global-energy-alliance
- https://www.energy-storage.news/indias-largest-utility-ntpc-and-global-energy-alliance-for-people-and-planet-pilot-sodium-ion-battery-storage/