2 months ago
1
Despite adding a important magnitude of renewable vigor capableness successful 2025, the inability of India’s existing electrical grid infrastructure to smoothly power betwixt ember and solar-wind vigor is starring to “dangerous” situations, Ghanshyam Prasad, chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) – India’s apex power-planning assemblage – said astatine a speech connected Thursday (February 26, 2026).
One of these situations occurred “earlier successful the week” erstwhile an “oscillation” that was registered successful Rajasthan was felt successful Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
“We person already started to spot that due to the fact that of the variability successful star and wind, determination are oscillations that person started happening to the grid and this is truly dangerous. We request to apprehension them arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. In 1 of the oscillations which I was conscionable reviewing 2 days back, I recovered that the oscillation was generated successful Rajasthan and that was adjacent felt successful Kudankulam. So, you tin ideate the interaction due to the fact that our full grid is integrated. We request to beryllium very, precise careful,” helium said astatine a two-day India Energy Transition Summit, astatine the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Also Read | Share of cleanable vigor successful India’s energy little than 30% contempt 50% of installed capacity
Grid oscillations hap owed to fluctuation successful transmission voltage and tin importantly harm power-transmission instrumentality oregon origin monolithic blackouts. Kudankulam is big to India’s largest atomic reactors. Mr. Prasad, however, did not suggest that oscillations were harming atomic powerfulness instrumentality astatine Kudankulam.
In 2025, India added 48 GW of renewable vigor capableness – the highest successful a azygous year. This enlargement astir doubled the additions from the erstwhile year, driven chiefly by a monolithic surge successful star and upwind projects.
Last year, non-fossil substance sources constituted 52% of India’s installed powerfulness capableness (about 264 gigawatts) oregon much than coal, state and lignite combined. However, astir 75% of the existent energy that flows arsenic powerfulness comes from coal, due to the fact that it is the lone root of substance that is disposable connected request dissimilar star and wind. India’s electrical grid not being ‘smart’ capable to power betwixt sources promptly and inadequate artillery retention lend to the oscillations Mr. Prasad was referring to.
The discrepancies forced powerfulness producers to undertake “curtailment” wherever star and upwind powerfulness energy are deliberately switched disconnected from the grid contempt producing electricity. Between May and December 2025, India curtailed astir 2,300 gigawatt-hour of star power.
Mr. Prasad added that India had a “long journey” to spell successful its vigor extremity wherever by 2047 astir 4 times the installed capableness of contiguous would apt beryllium added. “That means what we are targeting 500 gigawatts by 2030… By 2070, that fig mightiness scope to astir 6,000 gigawatts successful that timeframe,” helium said successful notation to India’s goals of being carbon-neutral by 2070, “We person a agelong travel to go. We cannot instrumentality a shortcut and we each person to beryllium prepared to instrumentality each efforts to spot that it gets successful the close perspective.”
