The trend of declining solar power generation and increasing coal-fired energy output is expected to continue in line with regional trends until the next fiscal when tendering and commissioning of green energy projects gain momentum
Solar power generation in India registered its slowest growth in six years in the first half of 2024, data from Grid-India showed. Alongside the slump, the country stepped up its reliance on coal to address surging power demand. Coal-fired energy grew by 10.4 per cent over the six months that ended on June 30
Electricity generated from coal grew 10.4 percent during the six months that ended June 30, a review of daily load despatch data from Grid-India showed. This was faster than the overall growth in power generation of 9.7 percent during the period. Coal-fired power outpaced renewable energy output in the country for the first time since the Paris accord in 2015.
Solar power generation in India, the third-largest producer of electricity from the sun, jumped to 63.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the first half of 2024, up 14.7 percent compared with the same period last year.
The fuel usage patterns in India since emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic have closely followed trends in the region. Countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Bangladesh have been increasingly relying on coal to generate affordable power.
The fossil fuel component in power output increased to 77.1 percent in the first half of 2024, up from 76.6 percent in the same period last year, showing a fourth consecutive yearly increase. Through the current fiscal ending in March 2025, this trend is likely to continue with an expected 8.9 percent growth in coal-fired power output as compared to 8.2 percent in renewable energy.
According to analysts, renewable energy generation could switch to a higher gear in the next fiscal year as the tendering and commissioning of green energy projects gain momentum.