India Faces Evening Power Crisis by 2027 Despite Expansion in Coal and Gas Capacity

India is likely to face growing evening power shortages by 2027, even as the country increases coal and gas-based power generation, a report from the India Energy and Climate Centre at the University of California, Berkeley said. The report warns that despite adding 41 GW of new thermal capacity by 2028, evening peak power demand could outstrip supply by 15-20 GW.

Current Power Capacity Insufficient

India has 446 GW of installed electricity capacity, which is split between 211 GW of coal, 195 GW of renewable energy, and the remaining from gas and nuclear sources. However, such capacities are often short of the peak demand period, worsened by extreme weather conditions. On May 30, the country witnessed peak demand shoot up to 250 GW at 3 PM, which was too much for the nation's most reliable source of power: coal.

Renewable Energy May Offset Crisis

The report places much emphasis on an emergency imperative to scale up the share of renewable energy, especially solutions for energy storage to ward off a looming crisis. Some of India's climate objectives are achieving 500 GW of electric power through non-fossil fuels by 2030 of which 293 GW would come in solar energy. Till date only 85 GW of solar capacity exists in India.

However, lack of appropriate storage infrastructure remains the weakness. Though solar power satisfies the daytime requirements, the evening requirement is still far from being met. It would be advisable to install new solar capacity of 100-120 GW by 2027, and of those, 50-100 GW should have attached battery systems that can store for 4-6 hours of power.

Solar Brings Quicker Deployment

Unlike the thermal and hydroelectric plants, which take 5-8 years to install, the solar and the battery storage system can come operational within 1-2 years. It will rapidly answer the ever-increasing demand.

Demand Quadrupling by 2047

Despite proposed renewable energy additions, the study warns that India could still face significant evening shortages by 2027. Looking ahead, electricity demand is projected to quadruple by 2047. To address this, the report advocates for increased reliance on low-cost renewable energy and robust energy storage infrastructure.

This stark warning underlines the urgent need for India to prioritize renewable energy solutions to secure its energy future and meet growing demand sustainably.

Improving energy efficiency in all sectors is another critical component of a sustainable energy future. Solutions such as FORCE, which cut power consumption by 10-15% in manufacturing facilities, offices, and homes, are needed as electricity prices rise. Such tools lower energy costs but also help in the fight against climate change. Initiatives like ENPOSS encourage individuals and businesses to embrace such technologies, stressing the need for energy efficiency in the fight for sustainability.