Co-located battery storage is becoming a condition, not an option, in solar tenders across emerging markets, as buyers use procurement rules to tackle midday curtailment and evening peaks in one step.

Rules take several forms: minimum storage ratios, scoring weighted to evening delivery, and separate hybrid tracks with their own price caps. Read our related report on evening-delivery scoring.

Economics and design

Bids are won on integrated cost per delivered evening megawatt-hour, which favours careful sizing of storage relative to solar, DC-coupled designs in some cases and sophisticated energy-management systems. Grid-connection capacity is used more efficiently, which is often the buyer’s real objective.

Supply-chain implications

Module and inverter suppliers increasingly partner with battery integrators to offer bankable packages; transformer and switchgear demand rises with hybrid complexity. Follow the tender rounds in our storage and renewables sections.

Background: solar plus storage becomes the default product

For a decade, utility solar tenders in emerging markets bought energy at the lowest price per megawatt-hour. As solar shares rose, that produced midday surpluses, curtailment and steeper evening ramps. Rather than run separate storage tenders, many procurers now require or reward storage inside the solar bid: a minimum ratio of battery capacity to solar capacity, a firm evening delivery profile, or a scored dispatchability criterion. South Africa, India, Morocco, Egypt, the Philippines and several Central Asian and Latin American markets have all run hybrid rounds, and lenders including the World Bank and ADB have supported them. The IEA and IRENA both describe hybridisation as the next phase of solar procurement.

Economics and design, in more detail

• Sizing: typical requirements range from 20 to 50 per cent of solar capacity in storage power with two to four hours of duration.
• Coupling: DC-coupled designs capture clipped energy; AC-coupled designs offer flexibility and easier retrofits.
• Scoring: evening delivery scoring and time-block tariffs reward the storage component.
• Grid connection: a shared connection reduces transformer and switchgear demand compared with separate plants.

What it means for suppliers to utilities and OEMs

Hybrid tenders bring storage suppliers into solar bid teams: cells, integrators, PCS, hybrid inverters, plant controllers and EMS providers now qualify alongside module and tracker makers. Requirements typically reference BESS tender standards, warranty terms and safety codes. Suppliers who can offer integrated, pre-engineered solar-plus-storage blocks reduce bidders’ risk. Follow hybrid tender rules on our storage and renewables pages.

Quick answers

What is a solar-plus-storage tender?

A procurement in which bidders must include battery storage with their solar plant, or are scored on their ability to deliver energy at defined hours.

How much storage do hybrid tenders require?

Commonly 20 to 50 per cent of the solar capacity in battery power, with two to four hours of duration, though rules vary by market.

Sources and further reading

• IEA — Solar PV — integration outlook
• IRENA — Energy storage — hybrid system briefs
• World Bank — Energy — hybrid tender support
• EnergiTech Media — Solar tenders reward evening delivery — related coverage

This article was researched and written by the EnergiTech Media editorial team and last reviewed in August 2026. We update country and sector guides as tenders, plans and regulations change. Spotted something out of date? Email support@energitechmedia.com.