Solar steps up in India’s heatwave demand crunch
Ember Current – August 2026 Newsletter
I am writing this on an unusually hot summer afternoon in Delhi, the kind where even the air conditioner feels like it is fighting a losing battle. Across India, prolonged heatwaves have pushed electricity demand to record highs. At the same time, El Niño weakened the monsoon season, and hydropower output experienced a steep decline. As the grid grappled with record demand and reduced hydro availability, solar stepped up quietly, supplying much of the additional daytime electricity.
India’s summer months of March to May this year were a reminder that solar is no longer just a clean source of electricity. Like in many parts of the world, it is becoming an increasingly important pillar of India’s energy security.
But there is a catch. Solar alone is not enough. It needs a robust transmission network to carry power from sunny regions to distant demand centres. It also needs flexible resources like battery storage to shift abundant generation into the night. Coordinated investments in infrastructure, technology and policy will be the key ingredients to making clean power the new normal.
Insights, analyses and commentaries
My top picks
As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India’s power sector transition will play a defining role in shaping the country’s economic competitiveness, energy security and global emissions trajectory. The country was the world’s second-largest market for new solar capacity additions in 2025, reflecting remarkable progress. The next opportunity moves beyond scaling renewable capacity, towards integrating it seamlessly into the grid. This edition explores what can unleash India’s full renewables potential to power homes and industries of the future.
Bottleneck to the next phase of renewable energy growth in India
India curtailed around 2.1 TWh of renewable energy in the last year (FY 2025–26) due to the inflexibility of coal power plants. Around 10 GWh of battery storage could have significantly reduced these losses. Published in June 2026.
Transmission gaps are beginning to constrain India’s rapid renewables integration
While nearly 20 GW of solar and wind capacity is likely to face grid connectivity delays of over four months, the existing grid can accommodate up to 236 GW of plug-and-play battery capacity. Published in May 2026.
Battery storage is now cheap enough to unleash India’s full solar potential
Solar paired with battery storage could supply up to 90% of India’s electricity demand at a competitive cost of around INR 5.06/kWh ($56/MWh). In fact, six of India’s ten largest states could meet over 90% of their electricity demand using solar and battery storage at a cost lower than their present power procurement cost. Published in April 2026.
There’s more!
- Shaping a resilient power system in ASEAN | Read the report
- UK’s largest emitter Drax reports record emissions in 2025 | Read the report
- The solarisation of Pakistan’s energy economy | Read the report
- Power on tap: EU hydro giants can add 25 GW renewables without new grids | Read the report
- From scale to system: navigating the next phase of China’s battery storage | Read the report
Ember in the news
- China Battery Storage Use Surges After Policy Shift, Ember Says | Bloomberg
- Solar generated record 25% of EU power in June with Germany, Spain and Poland leading the race | Euronews
- The Very Good and Very Bad News on Climate | The New York Times
What I’m reading
Visual storytelling corner
Graphic of the month
Our graphic of the month showcases how clean energy systems are more resilient to disasters and escalating climate shocks for vulnerable regions like ASEAN. Investing in solar, storage and grids can be a game changer in scaling flexibility – leaving the region less exposed to disruption.
Turning data into action
Data highlights
Global solar installations surpassed 3,000 GW in as of May 2026
It took more than two decades for global solar capacity to go from 1 GW to its first terawatt (1,000 GW). Then it took only three years for the second terawatt and less than two years for the third. Explore more with our Wind and Solar Capacity Data Explorer.
Solar generated MORE THAN HALF of California’s electricity for the first month on record in May 2026
California’s solar power generation went from 1% to over 50% in 14 years! It is the first major economy to pass this milestone solar share. Discover records from US states’ electricity transitions with our new data tool.
China’s BESS outgrows all other countries combined
China’s battery storage build-out has no global parallel. By the end of 2025, the country had installed 140 GW of lithium-ion battery capacity, while the rest of the world had installed 132 GW.
Region spotlight
Solar is having a moment in the Northern Hemisphere this summer. In June, a quarter of EU power came from solar for the first month ever. Solar generated a record 52 TWh of EU electricity, beating its previous monthly high of 47 TWh (23%) in May.
