Ratul Puri: India’s Evening Power Peak and Renewable Energy

India’s rapid urbanization, changing temperatures and shifting electricity use across households, industries, transport and commercial activities are driving higher electricity demand. The expansion of solar power has created new opportunities for the power sector, but the peak hours of solar power generation are during the day, and often do not match the hours of peak electricity demand that occur during the evenings. According to Ratul Puri, Chairman of Hindustan Power, this demonstrates that even during the energy transition, planning the quantity of electricity generation will not be enough; the timing will also have to be considered.

As reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA), India’s peak electricity demand has increased over the years. In 2017, India’s peak load was 162 GW. The IEA reports that it increased to 250 GW in 2024. The IEA also reported that in 2026, India’s summer peak was approximately 270 GW, and that the country’s summer peak loads occur around 8 p.m. Solar power can help address a big portion of the country’s power demand during the day; however, to address the country’s energy needs in the evenings and other times, other energy sources, in addition to solar power, should be considered in India’s energy and power discourse.

India's expanding solar energy capacity is changing the shape of the country's daily electricity system. Solar energy is produced during the morning hours and peaks during the day, declining during the evening hours. The peak demand for electricity may not occur at the same time as the generation of solar energy. After the sun sets, there may be increased demand for energy to meet the requirement for lighting and other electricity needs, including household cooling and the operation of other household and business appliances. These factors can create a mismatch between peak electricity demand and peak renewable generation. Ratul Puri’s perspective highlights the importance of addressing this misalignment, as additional flexible resources may be required to complement increased renewable capacity.

One potential solution to fix the timing issue is energy storage. During periods of high solar generation, some electricity may be curtailed when supply exceeds demand or available grid capacity. If battery systems were implemented to store that excess electricity, it could be held for later use when demand increases. Energy storage is becoming a key aspect of India’s power system. According to ETEnergyWorld, India’s battery storage capacity increased from 1.1 GWh to 9.3 GWh within the first half of 2026, with the majority of the capacity dedicated to balancing the grid and managing peak demand, as well as integrating renewable energy. For Ratul Puri, storage has the potential to tie peak demand for electricity with peak renewable energy generation. Solar energy doesn’t need to be consumed as it is being generated if there is a way to shift the generation to the peak hours using storage.

Other options are available to manage the evening peak. Flexible generation can respond to changing renewable energy output and continuously rising demand, particularly at times of high temperature when peak electricity demand is caused by the need for space cooling. On 30 June 2026, the peak hourly demand for non-solar energy in India was 255.2 GW, and the peak supply met was around 252.1 GW, indicating a supply shortfall of about 3 GW in the evening. The government attributed some of the supply shortfall to the state transmission and distribution networks. Other cases demonstrate the need for a flexible system to respond to varying energy demand. These needs can be met through improvements in the energy network and flexing of energy generation.

The solutions provided by transmission and storage address different aspects of the same challenge. Transmission moves electricity across space, while storage moves electricity across time. In the context of increasing renewable energy, a solar project may generate an excess of electricity during the day. However, the demand may occur at a different location and/or time (e.g., in the evening). Ratul Puri notes the importance of using transmission along with the flexibility of storage and generation to help integrate a very large scale of renewable energy into the system without compromising its reliability.

India’s renewable energy challenge is increasingly moving beyond adding capacity to integrating that capacity into the power system and delivering electricity reliably to consumers. The IEA forecasts that solar PV will meet 50% of India's demand growth through 2030. Furthermore, the share of solar in India's total power generation is expected to reach about 18% by 2030. As solar PV integration in the power system of India increases, the evening peak will remain a key consideration for grid planning.

Storage and flexible generation will be critical to manage the changing consumption and generation patterns, along with flexible transmission and demand. According to Ratul Puri, adding flexible capacity to the power system to complement intermittent renewable energy generation will gain greater prominence over adding capacity, particularly to meet evening peak demands. As India’s energy transition progresses, greater focus will be needed on the availability, flexibility and reliability of renewable electricity to meet changing system demand.