India's electricity grid marked a significant milestone on July 6 when clean energy sources supplied 50.02 per cent of total demand at 11:46, according to Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency (MERIT) data. At that moment total demand stood at 221.5 gigawatt (GW), constituting the second consecutive year that clean sources met more than half of peak demand. The statistic referred to combined output from renewables, hydropower and nuclear generation. Data showed that clean sources had momentarily supplied over 45 per cent of total electricity demand for 50 days since May, a fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said. The fellow said this pattern signalled a lasting change in the supply mix and that scaling flexible energy storage alongside large scale and distributed renewable systems would be the next frontier to serve rising evening loads with low cost renewable power. The expert added that policy and investment shifts would be necessary to preserve system reliability as shares grow. Peak power demand eased to 222.5 GW on July 6 as widespread rainfall moderated temperatures, data from the state run Grid Controller of India showed. The following day peak demand rose to 230 GW while the recent high remained well below the all time maximum of 270.8 GW recorded in May. Officials noted that peak demand reached 243 GW in June 2025 and that government estimates put peak demand around 271 GW in 2026. India's total installed capacity stood at 542.3 GW as of May 31, with thermal capacity at 250.8 GW and renewable capacity at 282.7 GW. While peak demand typically occurs in the mid afternoon, system stress was said to shift to evening hours when solar generation becomes unavailable and flexibility is required from other resources. A partner at Deloitte India warned that scaling storage and demand side measures would be crucial to address these evening shortfalls. Forecasters cautioned that the development of an El Niño between June and August could lead to harsher summer conditions and higher power demand. El Niño was described as a period of warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific that typically lasts nine to 12 months and alters global rainfall and temperature patterns, increasing the risk of extreme weather.