Why is a water-purifier company moving into batteries and solar energy?

Kent built a household brand around clean water. Its next major manufacturing bet is electricity. Kent New Energy, backed by Kent RO Systems, has commissioned a new facility in Noida to manufacture lithium battery packs and solar hybrid inverters as the company expands into residential energy storage.

The plant in Sector 159, Noida, represents an investment of more than ₹250 crore and currently has an installed annual manufacturing capacity of 3.5 GWh. Kent plans to scale that capacity to 10 GWh within six months, making the expansion target nearly three times the plant’s present level. The facility spans roughly three lakh square feet across six acres.

Its energy-storage systems combine lithium batteries with hybrid inverters that can manage power from rooftop solar installations, the electricity grid and stored battery energy. Battery options range from 5.1 kWh to 16 kWh, targeting households that want to store solar electricity for evening use or maintain backup power during outages.

The manufacturing push also marks a significant diversification for a company still best known for water purifiers. Kent expects newer categories including solar energy, lithium batteries, hybrid inverters and BLDC fans to support growth alongside its core business. The company is targeting approximately ₹1,750 crore in FY27 revenue, up from ₹1,350 crore in FY26.

And Noida may only be the first step. Kent has secured a 25-acre plot in the YEIDA region near Noida International Airport for another manufacturing project expected to involve around ₹500 crore of investment over three years.

For Kent, the strategic shift is clear: move from selling appliances that manage one household essential to manufacturing infrastructure for another. The immediate test will be whether its existing consumer distribution strength can translate into a meaningful position in India’s emerging home-energy-storage market.