India's renewables milestone: The coal gap and the storage challenge

India hit its 2030 renewables target in 2025. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: 76% of our electricity still comes from coal. That’s the gap we need to talk about. Yes, installing 242.78 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity out of 484.82 GW is a big milestone. But capacity is not equal to generation. → Solar plants run just 18–22% of the time. → Wind hovers around 18% PLF. → Coal runs at 76% PLF because it’s available, always. So while we’ve built the infrastructure, we haven’t enabled it to replace coal - not yet. Also, demand is only going up. From 250 GW today to 366 GW by 2032. That's 46% increase in just 7 years while making renewables reliable round the clock. Here's what the math looks like: 1/ Storage India needs 74 GW of it by 2032. The current installed capacity is really low. The good news is that battery costs dropped 79% to just ₹2.21 lakh per MW monthly. 2/ Transmission ₹4.9 lakh crore of investment is needed to move solar. We can't move solar from Rajasthan deserts to Mumbai without massive grid upgrades. I believe building projects is straightforward. Making them deliver consistent value requires thinking about storage, transmission, and market access from day one. The next decade belongs to companies that solve flexibility, not just capacity. What's your take on the storage challenge? 

🇮🇳☀️ Indian solar capacity surges by 66% India added 11.3GW in Q2 as H1 2025 solar hit 18GW, despite tender slump headwinds 🔍 Read the full article https://lnkd.in/ed4uxTzf #SolarEnergy #India #RenewableEnergy #CleanPower #EnergyGrowth #Sustainability #GreenTransition

🇮🇳 India has done something remarkable, meeting its 2030 renewable capacity target five years ahead of schedule. Yet, beneath the celebration lies an uncomfortable truth: coal continues to dominate our electricity mix. The reason is simple but often overlooked: capacity ≠ generation. Solar and wind assets, despite their scale, deliver only about one-fifth of their rated potential. Coal plants, on the other hand, hum along at three-quarters of capacity because they can run around the clock. This is why coal still supplies close to 72% of our power. And the challenge is intensifying. Demand is set to rise nearly 50% by 2032. Meeting that load while cutting fossil dependence will require more than just building solar parks and wind farms. The two biggest gaps ahead are clear: 🔋 Storage: By 2032, India needs roughly 71 GW of energy storage. Today, we’re barely scratching the surface. Falling battery costs are encouraging, but scale is everything—and we’re nowhere close. 🇨🇳 China already leads with over 30 GW of operational storage, rapidly expanding with grid-scale batteries. 🇺🇸 US crossed 10 GW of battery storage last year, with aggressive incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. 🇪🇺 EU is investing heavily in cross-border balancing and storage solutions to stabilize renewables. India has the advantage of late-mover learning—but must accelerate deployment at scale. ⚡ Transmission: Renewable-rich states like Rajasthan and Gujarat can’t power metros like Mumbai or Bengaluru without a massive grid overhaul. Close to ₹5 lakh crore in investment will be required to move clean power where it’s actually needed. China solved this by building ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission lines spanning thousands of kilometers. Europe is integrating grids across countries to move clean energy efficiently. India’s grid must be reimagined with similar ambition. The real work, therefore, isn’t about adding capacity anymore—it’s about enabling flexibility. Reliable renewables demand robust storage, modernized transmission, and smarter market mechanisms. In the coming decade, the leaders in energy won’t be the ones who just build capacity-but those who ensure clean power is available, dependable, and scalable. How do you see India bridging the storage gap?

Renewables Are Cheaper, But Why Coal Still Matters in India’s Energy Transition India stands at the cusp of an energy revolution. Solar tariffs consistently hover around ₹2.5/kWh, making renewables the cheapest source of new power. Yet, despite this cost advantage, coal continues to play a central role in India’s electricity mix. The Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) Optimal Generation Mix 2029–30 study confirms this paradox: even in 2030, over 160 GW of coal capacity must remain “on bar” for more than 50% of the year to ensure system reliability Why? The answer lies in three interlinked challenges: Intermittency and Storage Costs: Solar and wind, while cheap, cannot yet provide firm supply throughout the day. Battery storage systems (BESS) are projected to scale to 41.65 GW/208 GWh by 2030, but 4–6 hours of storage cannot substitute coal’s role in meeting seasonal peaks. . Extending storage for an entire day could push costs above ₹6/kWh, making it less competitive in the short term. Peak and Seasonal Demand: India’s demand curve peaks in late evenings when solar is unavailable. The CEA’s dispatch analysis shows coal must ramp up to 192 GW on peak days (May–June) to balance demand and keep the grid stable . Reserve Margin and Flexibility: While pumped storage (PSP) and batteries provide diurnal balancing, coal remains the backbone for long-duration and seasonal reliability. Even in high RE scenarios, coal’s minimum load constraints (55%) limit RE absorption to ~98% on certain days . This does not undermine India’s clean energy ambition—by 2030, 64% of installed capacity will come from non-fossil fuels, a remarkable transformation India must accelerate storage innovation, demand-side flexibility, and transmission upgrades. With the right policy and investment push, coal’s role as baseload will shrink—not overnight, but systematically—paving the way for a truly fossil-free future.

I hate how we're building India's energy future backwards. India added 23.83 GW of solar capacity in 2024, more than double the capacity added in 2023. But we added barely 341 MWh in energy storage capacity. And it worries me. India's power demand jumped 7.8% in 2023-24 to 1,622 billion units. During peak solar hours, regions with high renewable energy penetration experienced sharp voltage fluctuations and large deviations from planned schedules. We're creating our own duck curve problem. → Solar floods the grid from 11 AM to 3 PM → Peak demand occurs after sunset, when solar power is no longer available → We're forced to ramp up expensive thermal power in the evening → Grid instability occurs due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and the resulting gap between generation and load The math is broken: Current storage capacity: ~500 MWh total Required by 2032: 411.4 GWh (175.18 GWh from PSP + 236.22 GWh from BESS) That's a 600x jump in 8 years. And the real problem is: Battery costs dropped 20% in 2024 to $115/kWh, yet we're still treating storage as "nice to have" instead of "mission critical." Every solar farm without storage is a volatility generator, not a power plant. Reliance, L&T, and Amara Raja are bidding for ₹18,100 crore in PLI schemes for 50 GWh capacity. But even if they all win, that's just 21% of what we need. The opportunity is massive. The execution gap is bigger. This is a race to building energy independence (swaraj) that actually works for the masses. Who do you think will crack this first – the established players or the disruptors? I'm betting on whoever solves deployment speed, not just manufacturing scale.

India's power sector CO2 emissions have declined for only the second time in half a century, marking a significant milestone in the country's energy transition. This decrease is attributed to - *Increased Renewable Energy Output*: Solar, wind, and hydropower contributed significantly to the decline in emissions. Renewables accounted for a larger share of electricity generation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. - *Milder Temperatures and Rainfall*: Abundant rainfall boosted hydropower output, while milder temperatures reduced peak electricity consumption, especially from air conditioners. - *Clean Energy Capacity Additions*: Clean energy capacity additions outpaced electricity demand growth, preventing coal and gas generation from rising further. *Key Statistics:* - *Emissions Decline*: India's power sector CO2 emissions fell by 1% year-on-year in the first half of 2025 and by 0.2% over the past 12 months. - *Projected Peak*: Emissions from India's power sector could peak before 2030 if clean energy capacity and electricity demand grow as expected. *Global Context:* - *Global CO2 Emissions*: Global energy-related CO2 emissions increased by 0.8% in 2024, hitting an all-time high of 37.8 Gt CO2. However, advanced economies saw a decline in emissions, with the European Union's energy-related CO2 emissions decreasing by 2.2%. - *Renewable Energy Growth*: Renewables are set to provide more than one-third of total electricity generation globally by early 2025, overtaking coal.

🌍 India’s Renewable Energy Journey ⚡ India has set an ambitious target of 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, out of which ~220 GW has already been installed. This means we need to add another 280 GW of renewables in just the next few years. By 2030, our total installed capacity is projected to reach about 800 GW. Yet, as of today, nearly half of the existing ~476 GW still comes from conventional sources — with coal continuing to dominate actual generation. 👉 This raises two important questions: 1) How will the additional renewable capacity be utilized ? Will it mean doubling our power demand, or Will it gradually replace conventional power plants, or will fossil-based generation continue to operate alongside renewables? 2)Can we really achieve this target? Over the last 4 years, India has added renewables at an average of ~18 GW per year — while the road to 2030 requires us to more than double this pace. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the opportunities and challenges ahead. 💡

To protect grid stability and relieve congestion from booming renewables, India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy says solar output—especially in Rajasthan—was reduced by up to 48% during peak hours, costing producers over $26 million since April 2025. Developers are urging faster rollout of transmission infrastructure and battery storage to avoid jeopardizing investment. https://lnkd.in/gbJmEnAX

From COAL to CLEAN: Coal India just launched 5 GW of renewable projects! ☘️ This is a BIG SHIFT — a coal giant betting big on solar & wind to power India’s green leap forward. What’s new & why it matters: • 5 GW of solar + wind tenders nationwide (3 GW solar, 2 GW wind) • Turnkey EPC contracts — ensuring strong design to maintenance performance • Strategic locations near transmission hubs for better grid reliability ⚡ • Supports India’s clean energy targets: 3 GW by 2028, 9.5 GW by 2030 • Boosts rural electrification & green job creation 🌏 This could be a defining step in India’s energy transition. What’s your take — is this the beginning of a cleaner, coal-free future? 📰 Source: https://lnkd.in/g8ZsXUnx

India sees drop in CO2 emissions as renewables accelerate #bne #bneEditorsPicks #bneGreen #climatecrisis #ESG #India #renewables India’s power sector has recorded an unusual dip in carbon dioxide output, with emissions falling by 1% in the first half of 2025 compared with a year earlier. It is only the second time in nearly fifty years that such a decline has been observed Carbon Brief reported on September 18. Over the past twelve months, emissions were down by 0.2%, according to the analysis Carbon Brief published. This shift has taken place against the backdrop of record growth in renewable energy across India as the nation pushed ahead on installing renewables at a pace seen in few other places around the world. In the first six months of the year the report says, India added 25.1 GW of clean-energy capacity — a 69% rise on the same period in 2024.