India has one thing going for it, sunlight all the time.
India can adopt plug-in standards, solar and batteries. I guess most people use some form of battery (UPS/Inverter) anyways, so the idea is familiar.
Rooftop is known and it can continue to grow. Next, add vertical solar. This will add ~4 hours of solar production.
Required gated communities to be self sufficient or net producers. Cover the surfaces of all high rises with vertical panels. Require these communities to have BESS and EV charging for all car parking. This adds two layers of storage. BESS instead of diesel generators. Add outlet for induction stove. No need of piped gas. I've seen villa communities where most homes are net producers, these ideas are happening, need to be standardized as regulation. Easiest thing is to create standards for the gated communities, which can be enforced.
Don't build rural transmission infrastructure. They can be offgrid, using solar and batteries. It is not worth the cost to build and maintain transmission and distribution infrastructure to millions of small villages.
Work towards regulating uber/rapido to require EV cars. These drive the most miles in cities and would do wonders.
How did you get that number? Is this just a quip about batteries?
Most of India has a solar capacity factor >0.2 and low seasonality. That means even 5kW peak rooftop panels and a 10 kWh battery will get you over 95% almost always. And panels+labor is so cheap in India, there's really no reason not to just tile the roof in panels.
Things get more difficult in dense cities, if you have multi story apartment blocks going 90+% locally is impossible. But then just transmit power from lower density rooftops, or actual solar farms.
And this already assumes widespread AC (really no way to increase electrification this much and not add AC in that climate).
Our World In Data: Installed solar energy capacity: India - <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/installed-solar-pv-capacity?country=~IND" rel="nofollow">https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/installed-solar-pv-capaci...
India’s Clean Energy Boom Halts Coal Power Growth - <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Indias-Clean-Energy-Boom-Halts-Coal-Power-Growth.html" rel="nofollow">https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Indias-Cl... - September 18th, 2026
Ember Energy: India - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/india/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/india/ - Last Updated: June 4th, 2026
Ember Energy: Battery storage is now cheap enough to unleash India’s full solar potential - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/battery-storage-is-now-cheap-enough-to-unleash-indias-full-solar-potential/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/battery-storage-is-... - April 7th, 2026 ("Ember’s analysis shows how solar and battery storage can meet as much as 90% of India’s electricity demand at lower LCOE than the average power purchase costs in most states.")
- Solar and batteries could supply 90% of India’s electricity demand at a competitive LCOE of around INR 5.06/kWh ($56/MWh).
- 4.9 GW of solar and 13.5 GWh of battery capacity for every 1 GW average demand load is enough to meet 83-92% of annual electricity demand in the ten largest states.
- 7 of India’s largest states by electricity demand can meet 90-92% of their demand with solar and batteries at an LCOE between INR 4.96–5.09/kWh ($55–56/MWh).
Ember Energy: India’s electrotech fast-track: where China built on coal, India is building on sun - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/indias-electrotech-fast-track-where-china-built-on-coal-india-is-building-on-sun/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/indias-electrotech-... - January 22nd, 2026
- 27% of India’s electricity was generated from clean sources in 2025. It was the 3rd largest country by electricity demand.
- As of March 2026, India was one of only ten countries planning to triple non-fossil generation capacity from 2022 levels by 2030. By December 2025, the country had achieved 258 GW of installed renewables capacity, making progress towards its 2030 goal of 500 GW. Ember analysis suggests that, under current plans, renewables would reach 42% of generation by 2030.
Low at $12k per capita PPP adjusted. But it seems like most panels are imported or assembled. I don’t see how you can have electricity that cheap in this case.
'Offensively cheap': solar power is looking up - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49695304">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49695304 - September 2026 (81 comments)
> At the turn of the millennium, solar panels cost $5-$6 per watt of generation capacity. Today, they sell for around 12 cents per watt, a level described as “offensively cheap” by Dave Jones, co-founder of think-tank Ember.
Industrial/Commercial can also do rooftop, vertical and source power directly from solar farmers. Agriculture in India is ridiculously small landholdings, perfect for solar pumps. That covers the remaining 2/3rd.
Rooftop solar use had and continues to explode in most tier 2 cites where its seen as a great way to save on electricity bills by feeding that power back to the grid. Its one of the few bright spots in a country with relentless expenses and price pressures.
Would argue it is even coming to Tier 3 cities (personal experience from Rourkela, Odisha where I feel like rooftop solar has exploded in the last 5 years)
There are a bunch of new articles of the same happening in Pakistan. During their economic and power crisis of the last 5+ years, rural farmers have been installing rooftop solar at an insane rate. I hope the same is happening in India.
We installed a 5 kWp plant last month. Grid-tied, of course. Our daily usage is in the 12-25 kWh range depending on the season and the plant produces ~12 kWh on the worst days (~35 on the best, so far).
We have been doing our cooking almost exclusively on induction for the last 6-7 years, and I have been trying to get others to switch as well. However, it is difficult to convince people of the benefits. Some Indian cooking requires exposing the food directly to the flames, so piped/bottled gas cannot be completely eliminated.
> Required gated communities to be self sufficient or net producers.
This seems like it would have unintended consequences. Gated communities are mostly populated by richer classes, right? This could be used as an excuse to not invest in forms of power production that would benefit from larger economies of scale and produce power for everyone.
Richer people can invest and grow the demand, with learning rate costs come down.
Govt doesn't need to provide infrastructure to rich people. Utilities can just focus their efforts on demand/supply management instead of building out costly and time consuming transmission and distribution networks.
thelastgallon · · focus · HN ↗
India can adopt plug-in standards, solar and batteries. I guess most people use some form of battery (UPS/Inverter) anyways, so the idea is familiar.
Rooftop is known and it can continue to grow. Next, add vertical solar. This will add ~4 hours of solar production.
Required gated communities to be self sufficient or net producers. Cover the surfaces of all high rises with vertical panels. Require these communities to have BESS and EV charging for all car parking. This adds two layers of storage. BESS instead of diesel generators. Add outlet for induction stove. No need of piped gas. I've seen villa communities where most homes are net producers, these ideas are happening, need to be standardized as regulation. Easiest thing is to create standards for the gated communities, which can be enforced.
Don't build rural transmission infrastructure. They can be offgrid, using solar and batteries. It is not worth the cost to build and maintain transmission and distribution infrastructure to millions of small villages.
Work towards regulating uber/rapido to require EV cars. These drive the most miles in cities and would do wonders.
Lots of scope for growth.
idiotsecant · · focus · HN ↗
pbmonster · · focus · HN ↗
Most of India has a solar capacity factor >0.2 and low seasonality. That means even 5kW peak rooftop panels and a 10 kWh battery will get you over 95% almost always. And panels+labor is so cheap in India, there's really no reason not to just tile the roof in panels.
Things get more difficult in dense cities, if you have multi story apartment blocks going 90+% locally is impossible. But then just transmit power from lower density rooftops, or actual solar farms.
And this already assumes widespread AC (really no way to increase electrification this much and not add AC in that climate).
triceratops · · focus · HN ↗
davedigerati · · focus · HN ↗
triceratops · · focus · HN ↗
toomuchtodo · · focus · HN ↗
India’s Clean Energy Boom Halts Coal Power Growth - <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Indias-Clean-Energy-Boom-Halts-Coal-Power-Growth.html" rel="nofollow">https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Indias-Cl... - September 18th, 2026
Ember Energy: India - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/india/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/countries-and-regions/india/ - Last Updated: June 4th, 2026
Ember Energy: Battery storage is now cheap enough to unleash India’s full solar potential - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/battery-storage-is-now-cheap-enough-to-unleash-indias-full-solar-potential/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/battery-storage-is-... - April 7th, 2026 ("Ember’s analysis shows how solar and battery storage can meet as much as 90% of India’s electricity demand at lower LCOE than the average power purchase costs in most states.")
- Solar and batteries could supply 90% of India’s electricity demand at a competitive LCOE of around INR 5.06/kWh ($56/MWh).
- 4.9 GW of solar and 13.5 GWh of battery capacity for every 1 GW average demand load is enough to meet 83-92% of annual electricity demand in the ten largest states.
- 7 of India’s largest states by electricity demand can meet 90-92% of their demand with solar and batteries at an LCOE between INR 4.96–5.09/kWh ($55–56/MWh).
Ember Energy: India’s electrotech fast-track: where China built on coal, India is building on sun - <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/indias-electrotech-fast-track-where-china-built-on-coal-india-is-building-on-sun/" rel="nofollow">https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/indias-electrotech-... - January 22nd, 2026
- 27% of India’s electricity was generated from clean sources in 2025. It was the 3rd largest country by electricity demand.
- As of March 2026, India was one of only ten countries planning to triple non-fossil generation capacity from 2022 levels by 2030. By December 2025, the country had achieved 258 GW of installed renewables capacity, making progress towards its 2030 goal of 500 GW. Ember analysis suggests that, under current plans, renewables would reach 42% of generation by 2030.
dyauspitr · · focus · HN ↗
someonebaggy · · focus · HN ↗
dyauspitr · · focus · HN ↗
toomuchtodo · · focus · HN ↗
<a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/offensively-cheap-solar-power-is-looking-up/" rel="nofollow">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/offensively-cheap-so...
> At the turn of the millennium, solar panels cost $5-$6 per watt of generation capacity. Today, they sell for around 12 cents per watt, a level described as “offensively cheap” by Dave Jones, co-founder of think-tank Ember.
[deleted] · · focus · HN ↗
[deleted]
thelastgallon · · focus · HN ↗
ghm2180 · · focus · HN ↗
darkwizard42 · · focus · HN ↗
throwaway2037 · · focus · HN ↗
sieve · · focus · HN ↗
We installed a 5 kWp plant last month. Grid-tied, of course. Our daily usage is in the 12-25 kWh range depending on the season and the plant produces ~12 kWh on the worst days (~35 on the best, so far).
We have been doing our cooking almost exclusively on induction for the last 6-7 years, and I have been trying to get others to switch as well. However, it is difficult to convince people of the benefits. Some Indian cooking requires exposing the food directly to the flames, so piped/bottled gas cannot be completely eliminated.
kumarvvr · · focus · HN ↗
Installed capacity is 5kW. Which is generally sufficient as we use very less power.
I have induction stoves, so gas fuel for kitchen is minimized.
Planning to put a solar based offgrid chiller unit for air conditioning next.
ChucklsTheBeard · · focus · HN ↗
This seems like it would have unintended consequences. Gated communities are mostly populated by richer classes, right? This could be used as an excuse to not invest in forms of power production that would benefit from larger economies of scale and produce power for everyone.
thelastgallon · · focus · HN ↗
Govt doesn't need to provide infrastructure to rich people. Utilities can just focus their efforts on demand/supply management instead of building out costly and time consuming transmission and distribution networks.