India’s solar power production hits six-year low

India’s solar power generation posted its slowest growth in six years in the first half of 2024, Grid-India data showed. Along with the decline, the country has increased its reliance on coal to meet rising energy demand. Coal-fired power rose 10.4 percent in the six months ending June 30

Coal-generated electricity grew 10.4 percent in the six months ended June 30, a review of daily load data from Grid-India showed. That was faster than the 9.7 percent increase in overall power generation during the period. Coal power outpaced renewable energy production in the country for the first time since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Solar power production in India, the third-largest producer of solar electricity, rose to 63.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the first half of 2024, up 14.7 percent from the same period last year.

India’s fuel consumption patterns since emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic have closely followed regional trends, with countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Bangladesh increasingly relying on coal to generate affordable power.

The fossil fuel component of power output rose to 77.1 percent in the first half of 2024, up from 76.6 percent in the same period last year, marking the fourth consecutive annual increase. That trend is likely to continue through the end of the current fiscal year in March 2025, with coal-fired power expected to grow 8.9 percent, compared with 8.2 percent for renewables.

Analysts believe renewable energy generation could shift into high gear next fiscal year as tendering and launches of renewable energy projects gain momentum.