Solar power supplied more than one in every ten units of electricity generated in India during the April-June quarter for the first time, as output rose 37% year-on-year to 57 billion units, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’s quarterly energy snapshot.
India’s total electricity generation increased 9% to a record 524 BU in Q1FY27. Solar accounted for 10.9% of the generation mix, compared with coal’s dominant share of around 69-70%. Solar generation has more than doubled from 28 BU in Q1FY24 and touched a daily record of 696 million units on May 11.
Solar contributed 36% of the year-on-year increase in electricity generation, up from 11% in Q1FY25, and accounted for 84% of the growth in renewable output. Renewable sources together contributed 43% of incremental generation, while coal and lignite’s share fell to 68% from 71%.
Meeting Peak Summer Demand
The growth came as national peak electricity demand climbed to a record 271 GW on May 21, 12% higher than a year earlier. Peak demand occurred during solar generation hours on 61 of the quarter’s 91 days, with solar supplying more than one-fifth of generation during the system peak. Maharashtra recorded the highest state-level demand at 30 GW, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 27 GW and Gujarat at 25 GW.
Battery storage also began supporting nighttime demand, contributing up to 4.1 GW, or 1.1-1.8% of national demand during evening peaks. India currently has about 7.5 GWh of operational battery storage, while around 3 GWh is expected to be commissioned by December. Storage tenders totalling nearly 272 GWh have been issued.
Grid Constraints Cause Solar
However, grid constraints continued to force renewable generation cuts. Around 473 MU of solar and 112 MU of wind power were directly curtailed, while another 1,286 MU of solar and 211 MU of wind were backed down under the Tertiary Reserve Ancillary Service mechanism. Gujarat recorded the highest curtailment.
India’s installed capacity reached 549 GW by June, with non-fossil sources accounting for 54%. The country added 13 GW of renewable capacity during the quarter, compared with 2.26 GW of thermal capacity.
“India is demonstrating that renewable energy is reliable and can be deployed at scale,” said Manoj Kumar, India analyst at CREA. He said transmission expansion, faster battery deployment and greater flexibility of the coal fleet would be essential to fully utilise renewable power.