IESA: BRICS Must Collaborate on Renewable Energy & Storage

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) Collaboration on advanced energy storage technologies, resilient supply chains, and timely access to critical minerals is key to achieving renewable energy targets, industry body IESA told BRICS countries on Tuesday.

The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) handled the technical coordination at a virtual event which was attended by representatives from Brazil, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and other members of BRICS - a forum of emerging economies.

The event, organised by the power ministry, was aimed at accelerating India's clean energy transition by deepening international collaboration on advanced energy storage technologies and developing resilient local supply chains.

According to a statement, IESA has urged BRICS nations, including Brazil, Russia, and the UAE, to strengthen energy cooperation and mineral security. It also submitted recommendations to the Indian government.

India's clean industrial investment pipeline has reached an estimated USD 433 billion, placing the country among the world's top-three centres for clean industrial development.

"Energy storage is now essential for both grid flexibility and resilience as renewable integration rises," Debmalya Sen, President of IESA, said.


According to a government official, India's energy storage pipeline has crossed 100 GW, with around 10 GW commissioned. Yet, the country is highly import-dependent for minerals and key components.

"Expanding PLI support to recycling and advanced chemistries, and dedicated allocations for stationary storage are vital for building a resilient domestic value chain," the official said.

Jose Jesus Lima Neto, Infrastructure Analyst, Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Brazil, noted, "Clean-energy technologies require substantially higher mineral inputs than conventional energy systems."

Shuvendu Kumar Bose, Energy Expert, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the UAE, also said, "The key challenge is increasingly linked to transmission economics rather than renewable variability alone."

IESA, in its recommendations to the international grouping, called for mutual recognition of test reports, harmonised measurement protocols, and coordinated pilot projects to unlock distributed storage potential across the BRICS nations.

Yuri Vlasov, Founder and CEO, Watts Battery, Russia, stated, "System adequacy and local network reliability can diverge, with localised outages occurring even when the broader grid remains adequate."

Experts from India's TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) and Brazil's Electric Sector Studies Group (GESEL/UFRJ) emphasised the transformative potential of long-duration energy storage, while the UAE and Russian leaders highlighted the urgency for supportive regulation and standardised techno-economic assessment.