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Batteries are the fastest fix to make room for India’s midday solar surge as coal-based power plants are unable to ramp down far enough for the same
India needs around 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage immediately to stop renewable energy curtailment when the s coal fleet cannot ramp down below its technical minimum, according to a new analysis by energy think tank Ember. With solar power flooding the grid at midday, several coal-based power plants are required to operate at or even below their minimum technical loads (MTL), levels at which they can safely operate. As a result, grid operators are curtailing clean electricity to keep coal-based power plants online for the nighttime surge in demand and to provide necessary reserves.
Ember’s analysis found that keeping coal above its MTL forced the curtailment of around 2.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable generation in the fiscal year (FY) 2025–26, equivalent to 1.3% of total renewable generation. In 2026, around 10 GWh of storage, charging during the midday solar window, would have been enough to absorb that surplus, keep coal above its safe operating floor and avoid the curtailment altogether.
