- Why in news
- On 9 March 2026, the Ministry of Power told the Rajya Sabha how the Government is integrating renewable energy through Green Energy Corridors, ISTS expansion, storage and rooftop solar.
- What it is
- Green Energy Corridors (GEC) are transmission projects that carry power from renewable-rich areas to the grid. The MNRE runs the intra-state part in ten States, in phases GEC-I and GEC-II. Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) expansion complements it by moving power across States.
- Inter-regional capacity
- Inter-regional transmission capacity is planned to rise from 120 GW (January 2026) to 168 GW by 2032.
- Battery storage VGF
- Two Viability Gap Funding schemes support about 43.8 GWh of battery storage, launched in March 2024 and June 2025.
- ACC battery PLI
- The Ministry of Heavy Industries runs a PLI scheme of ₹18,100 crore for 50 GWh of ACC battery manufacturing, including 10 GWh for grid-scale storage.
- CERC connectivity rules
- The 2025 CERC amendment introduced solar-hour and non-solar-hour connectivity to promote hybrid projects of solar, wind and BESS.
Don’t confuse with Intra-state vs inter-state transmission: GEC (MNRE) covers intra-state networks within States; ISTS links States and regions and is planned under the National Electricity Plan.
Don’t confuse with VGF vs PLI for batteries: VGF supports deploying battery storage projects; the PLI scheme supports manufacturing of ACC batteries.
Economy terms and data: 42 Prelims questions since 2013, rising in recent years; they test what a term or instrument means. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- Transmission backbone lets renewable-rich States export power, helping meet the non-fossil capacity goals for 2030.
- Storage and hybrid projects reduce intermittency and give firm, dispatchable green power.
Problems
- Transmission build-out can lag generation, causing curtailment and stranded capacity.
- Intermittency of solar and wind needs large storage and flexible grid operation.
Way forward
- Plan transmission in advance of generation and speed up right-of-way and approvals.
- Scale up pumped storage and batteries and encourage hybrid and round-the-clock projects.
Put in your answer
Grid expansion target: Transmission network of 220 kV and above is projected to reach 6.48 lakh ckm by 2031-32 under the National Electricity Plan.
RE capacity commissioned: About 263 GW of RE capacity was commissioned as of January 2026.
- 2013Mains GS3 · Q11Write a note on India's green energy corridor to alleviate conventional energy problems
- 2021Mains GS3 · Q6Purpose of Green Grid Initiative launched at COP26, and when ISA floated it
- 2016Mains GS3 · Q11Current status and targets of renewable energy sources in India
- 2026Prelims Q45Which statements on green hydrogen are correct, including electrolysis using renewable power
- 2025Prelims Q70Statements on PM Surya Ghar scheme: rooftop panel target, training, skilling
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic with numbers (GEC 44 GW, 26 GW integrated, 500 GW target); standard textbook-type scheme. Card only.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.