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Plummeting costs of solar and battery storage in India along with technological improvements are opening new opportunities for clean and low-cost power generation. Recent energy storage auctions in India reveal record-low prices, with unsubsidized standalone battery storage bids at 2.8 lacs/MW/month and solar+storage bids at 3.1–3.5 INR/kWh.

Due to rapid economic growth, urbanization, and industrialization, India’s electricity demand is expected to nearly double in the next decade. The electricity demand in the country has grown at an average of 6-7% in the last three years. 250 GW peak demand was met in May 2024, up from 240 GW in September 2023, and is projected to touch 270 GW in summer 2025.

India is experiencing a rapid surge in electricity demand driven by the widespread adoption of room air conditioners (ACs), propelled by rising incomes, urbanization, and increasingly severe heat waves. We estimate that between 2025 and 2035, India will add an additional 130 million new room ACs, and without targeted interventions, room ACs alone could contribute over 180 GW to India’s peak load by 2035, straining the power system and necessitating costly investments in new capacity.

Due to rapid electricity demand growth, India will likely experience significant evening power shortages by 2027, even if all the thermal & hydro capacity currently under construction comes online as planned.

Recent SECI gigawatt-scale solar + storage auction results, with a record low price of Rs 3.4/kWh, have demonstrated how solar+storage will be an economical solution to help avoid power shortages. Solar + storage can be deployed much faster than new thermal and hydro assets.