Category: Power

• Reuters

• Published On Oct 12, 2026 at 01:17 PM IST

India turned away nearly 1.8 billion units of renewable electricity in July and August, even as it grappled with power shortages and dwindling coal stocks at power plants during a period of record electricity demand, a report showed on Monday.

About 4.2 per cent of total solar generation could not be absorbed by the grid in July and August, highlighting inadequate transmission infrastructure, data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) showed.

The data highlight a growing challenge for India as it expands renewable energy capacity to meet its clean energy target of 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from the current 304 GW.

“Despite record renewable generation, significant volumes of renewable electricity continued to be curtailed because of grid and operational constraints,” CREA analysts said.

India, the world’s third-biggest solar power generator, held back 14% of its solar power output between April and June, according to government data.

The South Asian nation’s transmission network has struggled to keep pace with the increase in green energy, particularly solar, which accounts for about 168 GW, or nearly a third of its power generation capacity, according to government figures.

The clean power curbs came even as peak power demand touched 270 GW in July and coal inventories at power stations fell sharply, the energy think tank said.

Nearly half of the country’s coal plants had stocks under four days of their requirement early this month.

India added renewable capacity at a rapid pace over the past year, helping non-fossil sources account for more than half of the country’s installed power capacity.

Solar generation jumped 39 per cent from a year earlier during the quarter ended September, while renewable generation excluding large hydro crossed 100 billion units for the first time.

Coal remained the backbone of India’s power system during the quarter, supplying about two-thirds of electricity despite record renewable generation, as rising demand and a 20 per cent decline in hydropower output linked to the El Niño weather pattern increased reliance on fossil fuels, the report said.

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Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL), a subsidiary of Tata Power, on Monday said it has commissioned 419 MW of utility-scale renewable energy projects in the second quarter of FY27, registering year-on-year growth of over 130 per cent from 182 MW in the corresponding quarter last year.

According to an official release, the company also executed 131.2 MWh of battery storage projects during Q2 FY27, comprising 101.2 MWh for its own operations and 30 MWh for third-party customers.

Building on its second-quarter performance, TPREL commissioned a total of 645 MW of utility-scale renewable energy projects and 161.2 MWh of battery storage capacity during the first half of FY27. Of the total storage capacity, 101.2 MWh was developed for in-house operations, while the remaining 60 MWh was delivered to third-party customers.

With these additions, the company’s operational utility-scale portfolio has reached 7.2 GW, comprising 5.8 GW of solar capacity, 1.3 GW of wind capacity and 281.2 MWh of battery storage capacity.

The company said its expanding renewable energy portfolio continues to support India’s clean energy transition, energy security and sustainability goals.

TPREL expects to execute more than 2 GW of renewable energy projects in H2 FY27, including 1,075 MW of solar, 969 MW of wind and 274 MWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS).

In addition to its in-house projects, the company plans to execute another 300 MW of third-party projects during the second half of the financial year.

By the end of FY27, TPREL expects its operational portfolio to reach about 9.3 GW, comprising 6,899 MW of solar, 2,298 MW of wind and 555.2 MWh of battery storage capacity.

During H1 FY27, the company commissioned several major projects, including the 100.8 MW Jewali Wind Project, the Kalasar firm and dispatchable renewable energy project comprising 227.5 MW of solar capacity and 101.2 MWh of battery storage, the 100 MW Kayathar Group Captive Project and the 72.5 MW Tata Steel Captive Project.

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