Batteries Can Shift India's Solar Gains Into The Evening
COAL & MINING

Batteries Can Shift India's Solar Gains Into The Evening

India's expanding solar fleet has cut coal use during daylight hours but evening demand keeps fossil generation running, Ember found. The think tank said battery storage can capture surplus solar in the day and release it in the evening, enabling cheap daytime solar to meet later demand and reducing pressure on coal-fired power. Kostantsa Rangelova, global electricity analyst at Ember, described this as a next step.

Ember said batteries can also limit renewable curtailment, improve utilisation of existing solar capacity and add system flexibility, but benefits will rely on continued deployment and market reforms that allow storage to access energy and ancillary service markets. The report noted that lithium iron phosphate batteries helped transform costs, with global average installed costs falling 95 per cent from $2,634 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2010 to $140 per kWh in 2025.

Solar reached a record share globally, generating just over 10 per cent of electricity in the first half of 2026, up from eight point nine per cent in the same period of 2025 and five point six per cent in 2023. Global solar output rose from 769 terawatt hours (TWh) in the first half of 2023 to 1,564 TWh in the first half of 2026 while total generation grew by 12 per cent.

Ember estimated global battery additions could reach 459 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2026, up 50 per cent from 307 GWh in 2025, and said that if new batteries were used to shift solar they could theoretically move 34 per cent of new daily solar generation into non-sunny hours. The think tank cautioned this was a theoretical ceiling because many batteries are underutilised.

California, Chile and Bulgaria showed that batteries can supply sizeable evening demand, raising evening shares in some markets substantially. Ember said India's transition will depend on shifting renewables into the evening.

India's expanding solar fleet has cut coal use during daylight hours but evening demand keeps fossil generation running, Ember found. The think tank said battery storage can capture surplus solar in the day and release it in the evening, enabling cheap daytime solar to meet later demand and reducing pressure on coal-fired power. Kostantsa Rangelova, global electricity analyst at Ember, described this as a next step. Ember said batteries can also limit renewable curtailment, improve utilisation of existing solar capacity and add system flexibility, but benefits will rely on continued deployment and market reforms that allow storage to access energy and ancillary service markets. The report noted that lithium iron phosphate batteries helped transform costs, with global average installed costs falling 95 per cent from $2,634 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2010 to $140 per kWh in 2025. Solar reached a record share globally, generating just over 10 per cent of electricity in the first half of 2026, up from eight point nine per cent in the same period of 2025 and five point six per cent in 2023. Global solar output rose from 769 terawatt hours (TWh) in the first half of 2023 to 1,564 TWh in the first half of 2026 while total generation grew by 12 per cent. Ember estimated global battery additions could reach 459 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2026, up 50 per cent from 307 GWh in 2025, and said that if new batteries were used to shift solar they could theoretically move 34 per cent of new daily solar generation into non-sunny hours. The think tank cautioned this was a theoretical ceiling because many batteries are underutilised. California, Chile and Bulgaria showed that batteries can supply sizeable evening demand, raising evening shares in some markets substantially. Ember said India's transition will depend on shifting renewables into the evening.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Resources

Schindler named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026

Schindler has been named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026, a global ranking recognising companies for their workplace environments.Compiled by Forbes in partnership with Statista, the ranking is based on independent employee feedback, including whether employees would recommend their organisation to friends and family.The company said the recognition reflected its focus on creating a workplace where employees can develop their expertise and build careers. ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India needs an export-execution mindset: Vishesh Jain

Interview with Vishesh Jain, Founder & CEO, EximpleWhat gaps in India’s global trade ecosystem led you to build Eximple, and what problem did you see businesses struggling with most?Eximple came out of a problem that all three founders had seen from different choke points in the trade ecosystem. India has millions of MSMEs and manufacturers, and many of them can make products that are genuinely competitive on quality. Yet only a small fraction is able to build meaningful international businesses. In our experience, the gap is usually not manufacturing capability; it is the ability to exe..

Next Story
Building Material

Nuvoco reports 13.5% revenue growth in Q2 FY27

Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd. reported consolidated revenue of Rs 27.9 billion for Q2 FY27, up 13.5% year on year. Cement sales volume rose 9% to 4.7 million tonnes (MMT), while EBITDA increased 11% to Rs 4.11 billion.The company said it began its cement operations in 2014 with a 2.3 MMT per annum (MMTPA) operation at Nimbol. It now aims to reach 35 MMTPA of cement capacity by FY28, nearly 15 times its initial capacity. Its portfolio spans cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials.On sustainability and cost efficiency, Nuvoco partnered with CleanMax for a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid re..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code