Maharashtra Storage Mandate: Six Questions Answered From the State FAQ

Maharashtra's solar storage mandate has raised the same handful of questions at plant after plant. Below are the six we hear most often, answered from the state's own FAQ and MERC's order rather than from us, with the source for each.

The most common mistake: a 1 MW plant needs 1,000 kWh of storage, not 500.

Banking and existing plants

• Question 1: Our second shift used banked solar at night. Can it still? Not the way it used to. Under MERC's March 2026 order, solar-hour credits offset solar-hour use, and unused credits settle monthly at the regulated rate. This order is under appeal at APTEL, so check the latest before you sign anything. (Source: MERC Case No. 75 of 2025)
• Question 2: Our solar is already running. Do we have to add a battery now? Not for compliance. Projects with in-principle grid connectivity before 18 March 2026 stay under the old policy. But the banking change above applies to them too. (Source: State RE & ESS Policy FAQ, Aug 2026, Q1 and Q3)

How much storage, and who must install it

• Question 3: How big is the battery? Half our solar, in kWh? No, and this is the most common mistake. The floor is 1 MWh of storage for every 1 MW of connectivity. A 1 MW plant needs 1,000 kWh, not 500 kWh. (Source: State FAQ, Q7)
• Question 4: We sell to an open-access buyer and don't need banking. Are we exempt? No. Every new RE project above 100 kW must install the minimum storage, whether or not it uses banking. (Source: State FAQ, Q4)

Timing and grandfathering

• Question 5: Can we commission solar now and add the battery next year? No. Solar and storage are commissioned together. A phased project adds proportional storage with each phase. (Source: State FAQ, Q8)
• Question 6: We applied on the MEDA portal before March. Old rules or new? It depends on connectivity, not the application. Only in-principle grid connectivity before 18 March 2026 keeps you on the old policy. A portal entry alone doesn't. (Source: State FAQ, Q1 and Q2)

Plants that need to size a compliant project, including the minimum battery, the trade-off between 2-hour and 4-hour configurations, and payback, can model their own site on Ingro Sims at sims.ingroenergy.com.