Solar-plus-storage could meet 90% of India’s power demand

From pv magazine India

New modeling by Ember finds that solar paired with battery storage could supply 90% of India’s electricity demand at an LCOE of INR 5.06/kWh.

The study finds that while a fully solar-powered system is technically possible, pushing toward 100% would be significantly more expensive. Each additional percentage point would require disproportionately more solar and storage capacity, driving up overall system costs. With other clean sources such as wind, hydro, and nuclear already in place or planned, the report suggests India would not need to rely on solar alone.

India’s electricity demand exceeded 2,000 TWh in 2024. Meeting 90% of that demand would require around 930 GW of solar capacity – less than one-third of the country’s estimated 3,343 GW of feasible ground-mounted solar potential – and 2,560 GWh of battery storage. This equates to 4.9 GW of solar capacity and 13.5 GWh of battery storage for every 1 GW of average demand. The study estimates that only 5% of annual solar generation would need to be curtailed.

India had installed 143 GW of solar capacity as of February 2026, representing about 4% of its estimated ground-mounted potential.

The report finds that during January through April, when solar irradiation is typically above the annual average, battery storage can shift daytime generation into evening and nighttime hours, allowing solar and storage to meet close to 100% of demand on most days. During peak summer months in May and June, when demand rises to around 10% above average, the system could still meet about 88% of demand.

The main challenge is not shifting solar generation from day to night, but maintaining supply during extended periods of weak solar output, particularly during the monsoon season.

According to Ember, solar-plus-storage systems are already cost-competitive in many of India’s largest states. Using the same system configuration as the national model, such systems could supply between 83% and 92% of electricity demand across the ten largest states.

Seven states could meet 90% or more of demand, led by Andhra Pradesh at 92%. Uttar Pradesh records the lowest share among the group at 83%. The report notes that states with higher demand during sunnier months achieve stronger performance, while those with higher demand during the monsoon, such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, show lower shares.

Solar accounted for 9.4% of India’s electricity generation in 2025, up from 5.3% in 2022. It currently meets as much as one-quarter of demand during peak daytime hours but provides no generation at night. The report suggests solar could play a significantly larger role in the long term, particularly when paired with low-cost battery storage.

To model system performance, Ember simulated how solar generation from high-resource states could meet hourly electricity demand, assuming no grid constraints. The analysis used solar irradiation data from 15 locations across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, reflecting areas with strong solar resources and land availability. National hourly demand data from 2024 was used as the baseline.

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