India Urgently Needs Battery Technologies Beyond Lithium, Industry Experts Stress at India Energy Storage Week 2025
New Delhi, July 10, 2025 – As India’s electric vehicle (EV) market accelerates rapidly towards a sustainable future, experts have called for a strategic pivot toward battery technologies beyond the current lithium-ion (Li-ion) standard. Highlighting concerns about resource limitations and sustainability, industry leaders gathered at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025 stressed the importance of diversifying energy storage solutions to support India’s evolving energy demands.
The India Energy Storage Week, organized by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) from July 8-11, convened specialists and innovators from across the battery and energy sectors. The consensus emerging from the event was clear: while lithium-ion batteries have dominated the market due to their high energy density and fast charging capabilities, India must aggressively explore alternative technologies to alleviate risks associated with raw material scarcity and production bottlenecks.
“The lithium-ion battery technology has reached mass adoption globally, but India needs to look beyond lithium to expand and innovate its energy storage ecosystem,” said Avishek Kumar, Co-founder and CEO of VFlowTech. He emphasized the strategic necessity for diversified energy solutions to ensure sustainable and reliable grid balancings as well as to accommodate the country’s burgeoning industrial and mobility sectors.
Alternative Battery Technologies Gaining Momentum
Several promising battery technologies were showcased and discussed at the IESW event, with experts pointing to innovations such as Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB), sodium-ion batteries, zinc-air systems, and thermo-mechanical energy storage.
Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries: VRFBs utilize vanadium ions in a liquid electrolyte to provide scalable, long-duration energy storage with exceptional cycle life. The global VRFB market was valued at USD 394.7 million in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% through 2030. Their durability and scalability make VRFBs particularly attractive for grid stabilization and large-scale energy storage needs.
Sodium-ion Batteries: Lauded for their cost-effectiveness and resilience in extreme temperatures, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as key candidates especially for stationary energy storage applications. William Tope, CEO of LiNa Energy, highlighted their importance in enabling high penetrations of intermediate renewable energy by providing long-duration storage to shift loads between off-peak and peak times effectively.
Zinc-Air Batteries: Offering long-duration storage from 10 to 24 hours and supporting deeper discharge cycles, zinc-air battery technology is being advanced by startups such as Sthyr Energy. Co-founder and CEO Gunjan Kapadia underscored the technology’s potential to support grid resiliency amidst increasing renewable integration.
Thermo-Mechanical Storage and Liquid Air Energy Storage: Innovative thermo-mechanical systems, including Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES), were also spotlighted. Saurav Mitra, Director at Sumitomo SHI FW, explained that these zero-critical-mineral solutions have significant components already sourced within India and offer a sustainable path for long-duration storage to balance renewable energy fluctuations.
Energy Dome’s CO2-based Compressed Energy Air Storage (CEAS) system is another noteworthy development entering the Indian market through a partnership with NTPC, capable of scaling energy storage capacity up to 1 GWh.
Meeting India’s Diverse and Growing Energy Needs
Experts unanimously agreed that diversifying energy storage technologies is essential not only for the expanding EV sector but also for stabilizing the grid, addressing industrial load requirements, and supporting India’s renewable energy ambitions.
As India aims to increase its renewable energy footprint, the variability and intermittency of sources such as solar and wind necessitate innovative and scalable storage solutions. The development and adoption of alternative battery technologies will be critical to achieving grid stability and ensuring energy availability during peak demand periods.
The discussions at India Energy Storage Week reinforce a shared vision of a diversified, community-driven, and environmentally sustainable energy storage future for India — one that transcends reliance on lithium-ion technology alone.
-ENDS-
For more updates on battery technologies and renewable energy developments, download The Mint News App.
