Solar energy generation rose by 37% in India in the April to June 2026 quarter, supplying more than 10% of the country’s electricity for the first time, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
As CREA’s analysis found, total electricity generation reached a record 524 million units in the period, a 9% increase on the previous year, with solar generation accounting for 10.9% of this, or 57 billion units.
Solar is India’s ‘fastest-growing source of electricity generation’, CREA noted, contributing 36% of the increase in electricity generation, compared to just 11% in the corresponding period two years earlier.
Coal and lignite continue to supply the majority of electricity generation in India, however their contribution is declining – to 68% in the most recent quarter – as a result of renewed investment in renewables.
‘The next challenge’
‘India is demonstrating that renewable energy is reliable and can be deployed at scale,” commented said Manoj Kumar, India analyst at CREA. “The next challenge is ensuring the grid can fully utilise renewable electricity. Expanding transmission networks, accelerating battery storage and improving the operational flexibility of the existing coal fleet will be essential.
“As the power system evolves, future decisions on new coal capacity should be carefully evaluated alongside investments in grid flexibility and better utilisation of existing thermal assets.”
Peak demand
As CREA noted, electricity demand in India has reached record levels, with peak demand – of 271GW on 21 May – 12% higher than last year. Notably, on 61 of the 91 days during the quarter, peak demand occurred during daylight hours, and was therefore supplemented by solar energy.
Battery storage is also playing an increasingly important operational role in India’s energy network – on days where peak demand occurred at night, battery storage systems supplied up to 4.1GW of electricity, meeting around 1% to 1.8% of national demand during evening peaks.
As of the end of June 2026, India’s installed power capacity had reached 549GW, with non-fossil fuel sources accounting for 54% of total installed capacity. Approximately 13GW of renewable capacity was added during the April to June quarter, compared with 2.26GW of thermal capacity. Read more here.
