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  1. India
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Coal, solar, heatwaves: India’s electricity transition

India generates more and more electricity, mostly from coal, but solar is growing faster than anything else. The 2026 heatwaves pushed demand up again. Generation by source, installed capacity, carbon intensity and consumption per person.

Citoyen·Data as of Nov 12, 2026

Scope: India, electricity generation and demand of all grid-connected plants, yearly data since 2000 and monthly since 2019 (Ember), World Bank population for consumption per person.

This dossier is updated at least once a quarter with the new figures. Follow it to get a notification at each update.

Key points

Share of coal in generation71%in 2025, against 33% worldwide
Share of solar9.4%in 2025, against 0.5% in 2015
Demand from April to June, over a year10%the heatwave quarter, Apr. 2026 – Jun. 2026
Consumption per person1,422 kWhin 2025, against 3,886 kWh on world average
  • Coal still dominates. It supplied 71% of India’s electricity in 2025, more than twice the world average (33%). Its share, close to three quarters since the mid-2010s (peak of 77% in 2016), fell in 2025 after 75% in 2024, and its output fell 2.9%.
  • Solar changes scale. Solar generation rose from 7 TWh in 2015 to 195 TWh in 2025, about 27 times more. Solar capacity reaches 136 GW, against 251 GW for coal.
  • Demand rises with the heat. From April to June Apr. 2026 – Jun. 2026, demand grew 10% over a year; the monthly record was set in Jul. 2026 (185 TWh).
  • More carbon-intensive than average. Each kilowatt-hour generated in India emits 671 gCO2e/kWh in 2025, against 460 gCO2e/kWh on world average.
  • Still little electricity per person. An Indian uses 1,422 kWh a year (2025), about 37% of the world average: demand still has plenty of room to grow.
How to read these figures

The series come from Ember, a research centre that compiles official generation statistics (in India, the Central Electricity Authority and the grid operator) and publishes yearly and monthly data under an open licence. Generation is the electricity leaving power plants; demand adds net trade with neighbouring countries, very small for India.

Carbon intensity divides the power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle included, by the electricity generated. Consumption per person divides the year’s demand by the World Bank population. Capacities are installed power at year end: a solar plant only generates part of the day, so equal solar and coal capacities do not generate the same electricity.

1. Coal-fired electricity

Indian generation rose 59% between 2015 and 2025, to 2,080 TWh. Coal still supplies most of it; its share, long stable, fell markedly in 2025.

Electricity generation by source

Gas and other fossil fuels grouped; bioenergy and other renewables grouped.

  • Solar
  • Wind
  • Bioenergy and other
  • Hydro
  • Nuclear
  • Gas and other fossil
  • Coal

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodCoalGas and other fossilNuclearHydroBioenergy and otherWindSolar
2000390 TWh85 TWh16 TWh77 TWh2 TWh2 TWh0 TWh
2001408 TWh83 TWh19 TWh72 TWh2 TWh2 TWh0 TWh
2002427 TWh91 TWh19 TWh69 TWh2 TWh2 TWh0 TWh
2003441 TWh104 TWh18 TWh69 TWh3 TWh3 TWh0 TWh
2004463 TWh105 TWh21 TWh101 TWh3 TWh5 TWh0 TWh
2005478 TWh101 TWh18 TWh97 TWh4 TWh6 TWh0 TWh
2006505 TWh94 TWh18 TWh113 TWh6 TWh9 TWh0 TWh
2007533 TWh103 TWh18 TWh123 TWh7 TWh12 TWh0 TWh
2008573 TWh101 TWh15 TWh115 TWh9 TWh14 TWh0 TWh
2009611 TWh117 TWh17 TWh106 TWh11 TWh16 TWh0 TWh
2010643 TWh129 TWh23 TWh109 TWh13 TWh19 TWh0 TWh
2011701 TWh127 TWh32 TWh132 TWh15 TWh24 TWh1 TWh
2012787 TWh106 TWh33 TWh116 TWh17 TWh27 TWh2 TWh
2013848 TWh77 TWh33 TWh132 TWh18 TWh30 TWh3 TWh
2014950 TWh76 TWh35 TWh139 TWh21 TWh33 TWh5 TWh
20151,007 TWh74 TWh38 TWh133 TWh18 TWh33 TWh7 TWh
20161,074 TWh82 TWh38 TWh129 TWh17 TWh43 TWh12 TWh
20171,115 TWh84 TWh37 TWh136 TWh15 TWh53 TWh22 TWh
20181,199 TWh78 TWh39 TWh140 TWh18 TWh60 TWh37 TWh
20191,199 TWh75 TWh45 TWh162 TWh19 TWh63 TWh37 TWh
20201,144 TWh78 TWh45 TWh164 TWh20 TWh60 TWh52 TWh
20211,256 TWh64 TWh44 TWh161 TWh21 TWh68 TWh64 TWh
20221,344 TWh50 TWh46 TWh175 TWh23 TWh70 TWh94 TWh
20231,445 TWh55 TWh48 TWh149 TWh23 TWh82 TWh114 TWh
20241,518 TWh61 TWh55 TWh157 TWh22 TWh82 TWh142 TWh
20251,474 TWh53 TWh54 TWh178 TWh23 TWh104 TWh195 TWh

Share of coal in generation

India and world average. Latest year: 2025.

  • World
  • India

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodIndiaWorld
200068.3%38.1%
200169.7%38.1%
200270.0%38.4%
200369.2%39.6%
200466.3%39.1%
200567.9%39.6%
200667.9%40.2%
200767.0%40.9%
200869.2%40.2%
200969.6%39.9%
201068.7%39.9%
201167.9%40.7%
201272.3%40.0%
201374.3%40.9%
201475.5%40.6%
201576.8%38.8%
201677.0%37.9%
201776.3%38.1%
201876.3%38.1%
201974.9%36.8%
202073.2%35.5%
202174.9%36.1%
202274.6%35.7%
202375.4%35.4%
202474.6%34.3%
202570.9%33.2%

2. The rise of solar and wind

Solar and wind supplied 14% of electricity in 2025, and all low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear) 27%. Over the latest twelve months (Oct. 2025 – Sep. 2026), solar’s share rises to 13% and coal’s falls to 68%.

Solar and wind generation

Yearly generation in terawatt-hours.

  • Wind
  • Solar

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodSolarWind
20100 TWh19 TWh
20111 TWh24 TWh
20122 TWh27 TWh
20133 TWh30 TWh
20145 TWh33 TWh
20157 TWh33 TWh
201612 TWh43 TWh
201722 TWh53 TWh
201837 TWh60 TWh
201937 TWh63 TWh
202052 TWh60 TWh
202164 TWh68 TWh
202294 TWh70 TWh
2023114 TWh82 TWh
2024142 TWh82 TWh
2025195 TWh104 TWh

Installed capacity: coal, solar, wind

Installed power at year end. Wind: 55 GW in 2025.

  • Wind
  • Solar
  • Coal

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodCoalSolarWind
201099 GW0 GW13 GW
2011113 GW1 GW16 GW
2012132 GW1 GW17 GW
2013149 GW2 GW18 GW
2014169 GW4 GW22 GW
2015190 GW6 GW25 GW
2016207 GW10 GW29 GW
2017212 GW18 GW33 GW
2018218 GW27 GW35 GW
2019226 GW35 GW38 GW
2020226 GW40 GW39 GW
2021231 GW50 GW40 GW
2022232 GW63 GW42 GW
2023238 GW73 GW45 GW
2024241 GW98 GW48 GW
2025251 GW136 GW55 GW

3. Heatwaves and demand peaks

Demand follows the seasons: it peaks in the hot months, when air conditioning and irrigation run at full speed. Over twelve months (Oct. 2025 – Sep. 2026), it reaches 1,981 TWh, up 6.6% over a year.

Electricity demand, each month

Record: 185 TWh in Jul. 2026, against 169 TWh a year earlier.

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodDemand
Jan. 2019109.7 TWh
Feb. 2019100.3 TWh
Mar. 2019116.4 TWh
Apr. 2019118.5 TWh
May 2019128.7 TWh
Jun. 2019126.1 TWh
Jul. 2019124.1 TWh
Aug. 2019120.5 TWh
Sep. 2019115.4 TWh
Oct. 2019106.1 TWh
Nov. 2019102.0 TWh
Dec. 2019109.6 TWh
Jan. 2020113.4 TWh
Feb. 2020112.0 TWh
Mar. 2020107.0 TWh
Apr. 202091.6 TWh
May 2020109.9 TWh
Jun. 2020113.8 TWh
Jul. 2020121.1 TWh
Aug. 2020118.4 TWh
Sep. 2020121.2 TWh
Oct. 2020118.2 TWh
Nov. 2020105.7 TWh
Dec. 2020115.2 TWh
Jan. 2021119.6 TWh
Feb. 2021112.1 TWh
Mar. 2021131.1 TWh
Apr. 2021126.6 TWh
May 2021118.0 TWh
Jun. 2021123.3 TWh
Jul. 2021134.8 TWh
Aug. 2021137.9 TWh
Sep. 2021122.8 TWh
Oct. 2021122.5 TWh
Nov. 2021108.2 TWh
Dec. 2021118.9 TWh
Jan. 2022120.9 TWh
Feb. 2022117.5 TWh
Mar. 2022139.5 TWh
Apr. 2022142.1 TWh
May 2022146.1 TWh
Jun. 2022144.1 TWh
Jul. 2022138.4 TWh
Aug. 2022140.0 TWh
Sep. 2022137.3 TWh
Oct. 2022124.2 TWh
Nov. 2022122.2 TWh
Dec. 2022131.3 TWh
Jan. 2023136.2 TWh
Feb. 2023127.0 TWh
Mar. 2023137.2 TWh
Apr. 2023139.8 TWh
May 2023147.2 TWh
Jun. 2023150.0 TWh
Jul. 2023148.7 TWh
Aug. 2023160.4 TWh
Sep. 2023149.8 TWh
Oct. 2023149.6 TWh
Nov. 2023128.8 TWh
Dec. 2023132.6 TWh
Jan. 2024143.3 TWh
Feb. 2024136.1 TWh
Mar. 2024149.6 TWh
Apr. 2024154.9 TWh
May 2024167.8 TWh
Jun. 2024163.2 TWh
Jul. 2024161.4 TWh
Aug. 2024155.6 TWh
Sep. 2024151.5 TWh
Oct. 2024152.6 TWh
Nov. 2024135.2 TWh
Dec. 2024141.5 TWh
Jan. 2025148.1 TWh
Feb. 2025142.4 TWh
Mar. 2025160.7 TWh
Apr. 2025159.1 TWh
May 2025161.4 TWh
Jun. 2025163.2 TWh
Jul. 2025169.3 TWh
Aug. 2025164.3 TWh
Sep. 2025159.4 TWh
Oct. 2025144.8 TWh
Nov. 2025135.9 TWh
Dec. 2025152.7 TWh
Jan. 2026157.5 TWh
Feb. 2026147.1 TWh
Mar. 2026164.1 TWh
Apr. 2026168.5 TWh
May 2026180.4 TWh
Jun. 2026182.1 TWh
Jul. 2026185.2 TWh
Aug. 2026184.9 TWh
Sep. 2026177.7 TWh

Electricity consumption per person

Yearly demand divided by population (World Bank), in kilowatt-hours.

  • World
  • India

Source:EmberType of source : Research·World Bank

Show the chart data
PeriodIndiaWorld
2000541 kWh2,487 kWh
2001545 kWh2,490 kWh
2002557 kWh2,544 kWh
2003573 kWh2,602 kWh
2004616 kWh2,690 kWh
2005611 kWh2,765 kWh
2006637 kWh2,836 kWh
2007673 kWh2,931 kWh
2008691 kWh2,951 kWh
2009721 kWh2,891 kWh
2010758 kWh3,046 kWh
2011823 kWh3,110 kWh
2012855 kWh3,147 kWh
2013884 kWh3,198 kWh
2014960 kWh3,237 kWh
2015987 kWh3,234 kWh
20161,037 kWh3,286 kWh
20171,074 kWh3,347 kWh
20181,141 kWh3,444 kWh
20191,150 kWh3,459 kWh
20201,114 kWh3,413 kWh
20211,186 kWh3,579 kWh
20221,264 kWh3,630 kWh
20231,332 kWh3,695 kWh
20241,401 kWh3,817 kWh
20251,422 kWh3,886 kWh

4. Carbon intensity

Because coal dominates, each Indian kilowatt-hour emits markedly more than the world average. The gap narrows slowly as solar grows.

Emissions per kilowatt-hour generated

Grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour, India and world average. Latest year: 2025.

  • World
  • India

Source:EmberType of source : Research

Show the chart data
PeriodIndiaWorld
2000740 gCO2e/kWh528 gCO2e/kWh
2001747 gCO2e/kWh530 gCO2e/kWh
2002756 gCO2e/kWh533 gCO2e/kWh
2003758 gCO2e/kWh545 gCO2e/kWh
2004724 gCO2e/kWh540 gCO2e/kWh
2005734 gCO2e/kWh544 gCO2e/kWh
2006723 gCO2e/kWh547 gCO2e/kWh
2007718 gCO2e/kWh555 gCO2e/kWh
2008733 gCO2e/kWh548 gCO2e/kWh
2009745 gCO2e/kWh544 gCO2e/kWh
2010739 gCO2e/kWh544 gCO2e/kWh
2011722 gCO2e/kWh551 gCO2e/kWh
2012743 gCO2e/kWh549 gCO2e/kWh
2013739 gCO2e/kWh549 gCO2e/kWh
2014743 gCO2e/kWh545 gCO2e/kWh
2015751 gCO2e/kWh534 gCO2e/kWh
2016752 gCO2e/kWh526 gCO2e/kWh
2017743 gCO2e/kWh523 gCO2e/kWh
2018738 gCO2e/kWh519 gCO2e/kWh
2019723 gCO2e/kWh507 gCO2e/kWh
2020710 gCO2e/kWh494 gCO2e/kWh
2021716 gCO2e/kWh497 gCO2e/kWh
2022707 gCO2e/kWh492 gCO2e/kWh
2023714 gCO2e/kWh486 gCO2e/kWh
2024707 gCO2e/kWh473 gCO2e/kWh
2025671 gCO2e/kWh460 gCO2e/kWh

What we know, what we don’t

What the figures establish

  • Coal still supplies more than two thirds of India’s electricity, but its share fell markedly in the latest year, after a decade at around three quarters.
  • Solar is the fastest-growing source, in generation as in installed capacity.
  • Demand grows fast and sets its records in the hot months.

What they don’t tell

  • The exact role of heatwaves in the rise of demand: these series do not separate the effect of heat from that of economic growth.
  • Local outages and load shedding, which national totals do not show.
  • The future path of the mix: this dossier only reads published data, no projection.

Stay up to date

This dossier is updated at least once a quarter with the new figures. Follow it to get a notification at each update.

Sources

Series downloaded from their producers on Nov 12, 2026, the snapshot date. Only published periods are used: no projection.

  • World Bank Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL)
  • Ember Type of source : Research Yearly electricity data (generation, capacity, emissions, demand), CC BY 4.0
  • Ember Type of source : Research Monthly electricity data, CC BY 4.0