Now Reading: Solar surge cuts midday coal use by 10 GW in three years: Ember
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Solar surge cuts midday coal use by 10 GW in three years: Ember
India’s rapid solar capacity addition has cut midday fossil fuel generation by 10 GW in three years, equivalent to the output of about 15 modern coal units, according to a new Ember…
The Story in Brief
India’s rapid solar capacity addition has cut midday fossil fuel generation by 10 GW in three years, equivalent to the output of about 15 modern coal units, according to a new Ember report. Fossil generation at 1 pm fell from 135 GW in the first half of 2023 to 125 GW in H1 2026. However, evening coal use has risen sharply: fossil generation between 5 pm and 7 am averaged 168 GW in H1 2026, up 22 GW from three years earlier, as coal plants ramped up to meet post-sunset demand.
Ember says battery storage is key to extending solar benefits beyond daylight. Global battery installations in 2026 could theoretically shift 34 per cent of new daily solar generation to evening hours, up from 4 per cent in 2021. For India, faster battery deployment and electricity market reforms are needed to reduce evening coal reliance and improve grid flexibility.
The Indian Opinion
The Ember numbers show solar’s promise, and its limits. Headlines will celebrate the 10 GW daytime cut, but the 22 GW evening rise in fossil generation is just as real. The lazy narrative pits renewables as a silver bullet versus coal as an irreplaceable crutch. Neither is honest. The concrete test is battery storage deployment. If India can install enough storage to shift even one-third of daytime solar to evening, the next report will tell a different story. Will electricity market reforms keep pace, or will solar gains remain a daylight-only victory?
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
