In an interview on the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2026, held in New Delhi on July 1 and 2, Nikhil S. Tambe, CEO of The Energy Consortium, IIT Madras, emphasized the need for long-duration energy storage, specifically for the development of vanadium redox flow battery technology. This technology has been advanced from research at IIT Madras into a large-scale pilot project in partnership with High Energy Batteries. They are well-suited for long-duration storage (6 to 8 hours or more), which is increasingly necessary as renewable energy generation from solar and wind grows. They offer a cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage. The technology can be indigenized because the required materials are available in India, reducing reliance on global supply chains.