Despite India's renewables push, it's fossil, fossil burning bright

With a record hot summer and with unprecedented weather events feared this year, India's grid operators are falling back on coal

Despite a four-time jump in the country’s renewable-energy capacity since 2014, the mainstay of power supply in India continues to be coal-based thermal power.    

The installed capacity of green-energy sources, chiefly solar and wind, grew to 136 gigawatt (Gw) in March 2024 against 35 Gw in March 2014. 

But its contribution  to electricity supply has increased to only 12 per cent to date, the data analysed by Business Standard showed.

Its technical limitations restrict the share of renewable energy in the electricity grid. 

With a record hot summer and with unprecedented weather events feared this year, India’s grid operators are falling back on