According to a report from Ember, a global energy group, India curtailed 2.3 TWh of solar power in 2025 because the power grid could not handle it; the nation’s power system could not use the available clean energy because the grid wasn’t sufficiently flexible. Between May and December 2025, the grid operator curtailed a substantial amount of solar power generated during the day, equivalent to the consumption of about 400,000 households in a year.

Why Solar Power Was Reduced

The main reason for the cutback is that India’s power system is not flexible, and coal plants, which still provide most of the electricity, cannot reduce their output quickly when there is abundant solar power. Many thermal plants must operate above their minimum level, so they cannot readily reduce power during the day, even when there is ample solar energy.

In October 2025, low demand for solar energy coincided with a peak in production, due to mild weather and low daytime electricity use, forcing coal-fired power to be maintained at high levels at night to accommodate non-renewable demand. Due to this situation, grid operators had to curtail the amount of solar power produced in order to maintain system stability; thus demonstrating that we need a more flexible approach to operating our electricity systems.

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Financial and Environmental Costs

The curtailed electricity had both cost and environmental implications, and Ember has estimated that at least 2.11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions were not avoided because unused solar output would have replaced fossil-fuel-generated power. Additionally, generators were compensated between ₹5,750 crores and ₹6,900 crores (approximately $63 million to $76 million) for generating power that they could not sell. These costs will ultimately be borne by electricity system customers and may affect customer rates.

The payment compensates for some of the losses incurred by power companies. Still, the cost of unused clean energy and the lost opportunity to replace fossil fuels indicate that the system has problems. If these problems are not addressed, they could slow India’s transition to clean energy.

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Future Needs for Grid Flexibility

Ember’s report states that India curtailed 2.3 TWh of solar power in 2025, which should serve as a warning for India’s future reliance on solar power. To use solar power more effectively, the country must rapidly enhance grid flexibility, which can be achieved by making coal plants more adaptable, increasing energy storage, and making demand more flexible through smart meters and time-varying prices.

Due to the lack of required flexibility (to accommodate renewables), there will be an increasing occurrence of curtailed solar, which will decrease the value of investments in clean energy and hinder the efforts to reduce emissions. Having sufficient energy capacity is not sufficient for India to fully benefit from a growing renewable energy sector; it will also need to develop a flexible energy system.

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