India is facing challenges in fully utilizing its rapidly expanding solar power capacity due to limitations in the country’s electricity grid infrastructure. During periods of peak demand, particularly in the evenings amid hotter nights, some renewable energy producers have been instructed to curtail their output because the grid cannot safely accommodate the excess power.
Over the past 15 months, India curtailed nearly 11 terawatt-hours of solar generation—enough to supply roughly 10 million homes—according to government data and research by the energy think tank Ember. This underutilization occurred even as extreme heat and diminished monsoon rainfall increased demand for electricity, primarily for cooling and irrigation.
India, the world’s most populous nation and a major emitter of greenhouse gases, has rapidly increased its clean energy capacity, particularly solar. The country now has more than 300 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel power capacity, accounting for over half of its total installed electricity capacity. However, coal remains the dominant source of electricity generation.
Experts attribute the curtailment largely to the mismatch between intermittent renewable output and the grid’s ability to manage power flows. Coal-fired power plants, which provide a significant portion of India’s electricity, are relatively inflexible and cannot easily reduce their output when solar generation spikes in the afternoon. This inability to quickly ramp down thermal plants leads to constraints on how much renewable power can be integrated, resulting in wastage of clean energy.
“The challenge is that coal units take time to adjust output, so when solar surges, the grid risks overload,” said Neshwin Rodrigues, an analyst at Ember. Vinay Pabba, CEO of Hyderabad-based Vibrant Energy, likened the task of making thermal plants more flexible to “asking an elephant to dance,” highlighting the operational and cost difficulties involved.
Transmission infrastructure also faces bottlenecks, especially in western India where solar capacity is concentrated. The states of Gujarat and Rajasthan account for nearly half of the country’s solar power capacity, leading to congestion on transmission lines during peak production periods. Expanding transmission lines and developing a more geographically balanced renewable generation portfolio could alleviate some of these pressures.
In addition, India’s energy storage capacity remains insufficient. While batteries could enable the storage of excess solar energy for use after sunset, current storage infrastructure is minimal compared to projected needs. The government reported approximately 3 gigawatts of battery storage and 7.4 gigawatts of pumped-storage capacity as of July, but estimates suggest the country will require up to 74 gigawatts by 2032.
Without adequate storage, India risks continued reliance on coal plants even when renewable power is available, undermining carbon reduction efforts. Vibhuti Garg, South Asia director at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, noted that insufficient storage may perpetuate fossil fuel use despite the availability of cheaper clean energy.
Industry experts emphasize that India must not only build more solar and wind capacity but also invest heavily in transmission lines, storage solutions, and grid flexibility to fully realize its renewable energy potential. The country aims to reach 500 gigawatts of clean electricity capacity by 2030, with non-fossil sources projected to constitute nearly 70% of installed power capacity by 2036.
The ongoing challenge of integrating large-scale renewable energy reflects the complexity of transforming India’s power system rapidly amid rising demand, with stakeholders cautioning that without adequate infrastructure upgrades, the benefits of the solar boom may remain partially unrealized.