Polycab launches hybrid inverter and BESS at REI Expo

Polycab India Limited has introduced a new Hybrid Inverter and Battery Pack at the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2026 in Greater Noida. The launch expands the cable manufacturer’s integrated solar solutions portfolio, addressing the increasing market demand for paired solar generation and battery energy storage. Positioned under the expo's theme of "Smart Sustainability," the new product line aims to enhance grid readiness for residential and commercial customers as India transitions toward hybrid renewable models.

Expanding a massive solar footprint
Since entering the solar sector with DC cables in 2012 and on-grid inverters in 2016, Polycab has scaled its manufacturing capabilities to offer a broad range of grid-tie inverters spanning 2 kW to 350 kW capacities. To date, the company has supplied over 6 GW of total inverter capacity across more than 1.1 million units. According to recent estimates from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Polycab inverters currently power approximately 30 percent of all rooftop installations completed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. The company's solar portfolio up to 100 kW has also achieved full Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) registration, ensuring strict regulatory compliance and high-efficiency energy conversion.

Utility-scale ambitions and grid stability
Looking beyond the residential rooftop market, Polycab is aggressively targeting utility-scale opportunities. The company plans to introduce a massive 500 kW inverter platform in 2027 to support heavy-duty installations under the PM-KUSUM agricultural scheme and the newly announced Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY), which aims to deploy 5 GW of floating solar capacity across India's inland water bodies. To prepare for this next phase of renewable deployment, Polycab is heavily investing in advanced grid-forming inverter technology designed to actively support grid stability and resilience as decentralized power generation scales nationwide.

Additional Context: Grid-forming inverters and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement.

Traditional grid-tied solar inverters are "grid-following," meaning they rely on a stable external utility grid to set the voltage and frequency reference. If the utility grid fails or experiences severe voltage sags, these inverters must disconnect to protect line workers and equipment. However, as renewable energy penetration increases and traditional synchronous generators (like coal plants) are retired, the grid loses critical rotational inertia. To counter this instability, advanced "grid-forming" inverters act as virtual synchronous machines. When paired with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), these hybrid inverters can actively regulate local voltage and frequency, dampen power oscillations, and provide black-start capabilities without relying on a grid signal. This technological shift is essential for upcoming utility-scale projects—such as the floating solar arrays planned under PM-SSY—ensuring that massive renewable deployments actively stabilize India's national power grid rather than just blindly feeding raw power into it.

Edited by an industrial journalist, Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.

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