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| Fig. 1: Distribution of Electricity Generation by Fuel in India in 2021. [3] (Image Source: A. Panda) |
India has seen exponential growth in electricity generation in the past couple of decades. In 2020, India ranked third globally in power generation, fourth in electricity consumption and fifth in terms of installed capacity. [1] The Indian government enacted the Electricity Act in June 2003 consolidating three existing regulations. This act aimed to ensure electricity supply to all regions by standardizing tariffs, implementing transparent subsidy policies, fostering competition among energy distributors among other measures. This, along with economic expansions due to the liberalization of the economy in 1990, has led to a surge in electricity demands which in turn, has led to steady growth in the installed power capacity and electricity generation. From December 1950 to March 2021, the gross electricity generation has grown over 250%. Since 1990, electricity generation from renewable energy sources which include small hydro projects, wind, biomass, biomass gasifier, urban and industrial waste, and solar has also grown appreciably. [2]
In 2021, India saw a 10.0% growth in electricity generation, generating about 1714.8 TWh. Fig. 1 shows the distribution of electricity generation across different sources in 2021. Power generation is dominated by Coal followed by renewables and hydroelectricity. [3]
As expected, for efficient distribution of power, presence of certain natural resources, as well as the state government's energy initiatives, the installed capacity varies widely from state-to-state. Due to geographical advantages leading to abundant wind and solar resources, the western states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra have an increased focus on energy production from these renewable sources. Wind and solar have also received continued investments in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In 2024, Solar accounts for about 51% of total renewable energy generation (excluding hydroelectricity) and wind energy projects account for 31%. [2]
In 2020, India ranked fifth in hydropower capacity (following China, Brazil, US and Canada). There are over 200 hydropower plants with a total installed capacity of 46850 MW. The largest five hydroelectric powerplants in India are in Uttarakhand (North India: Tehri Dam; Maximum Planned Capacity: 2400 MW), Maharashtra (South West India: Koyna hydroelectric project; Maximum Planned Capacity: 1960 MW), Andhra Pradesh (South East India: Srisailam Dam; Maximum Planned Capacity: 1670 MW), Himachal Pradesh (North India: Nathpa Jhakri Dam; Maximum Planned Capacity: 1530 MW) and Gujarat (West India: Sardar Sarovar Dam; Maximum Planned Capacity: 1450 MW). Other Notable hydroelectricity projects are in the state of Odisha along the Mahanadi River and Jammu and Kashmir along Jhelum and Chenab rivers. Small hydro projects are also spread across the North-eastern region. [4]
Biomass has seen increased investment in northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounting for about 17% of total renewable energy generation (excluding hydropower) in 2024. [2]
It has been estimated that India will have an overall energy surplus of 3.6% and a peak surplus of 0.7% for the year of 23-24. The northern region is expected to have a deficit of 1.8%, western region a surplus of 7%, southern region a surplus of 6.8%, eastern region a surplus of 1.9% and the north-eastern region a surplus of 3.5%. Deficits will be managed through inter-regional power exchanges facilitated by the national grid. A capacity addition of 19680 MW is also expected this year. Of which 76% will be thermal energy sources, 17% will be hydroelectricity and 7% will be nuclear energy. 12% of this year's gross energy generation will be attributed to the diverse renewable energy sources mentioned before. [5]
© Alka Panda. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] M. K. Verma et al., "Indian Power Distribution Sector Reforms: A Critical Review," Energy Policy 144, 111672 (2020).
[2] "All India Energy Statistics - General Review 2022," Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, May 2022.
[3] "BP Statistical Review of World Energy," British Petroleum, June 2022.
[4] "Review of Performance of Hydro Power Stations 2022-23," Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, August 2023.
[5] "Load Generation Balance Report 2023-24," Central Electricity Authority, Government of India, March 2023.