Mumbai, Oct. 27 -- India curtailed 378.52 mn units (MU) of variable renewable energy in September 2026, equivalent to 1.28 per cent of total renewable generation, according to JMK Research & Analytics. The curtailment affected 118.6 GW of renewable energy capacity, including 96.9 GW of solar and 21.7 GW of wind capacity.
Transmission constraints, limited battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, demand-generation mismatches and inadequate grid flexibility continued to affect renewable energy integration. The addition of around 44.6 GW of solar capacity in FY26 increased pressure on transmission infrastructure and the power system's ability to absorb variable generation.
Solar power accounted for 83 per cent of September's curtailed energy, at around 314 MU. Wind curtailment nearly tripled year on year to 64.98 MU, raising its share of total curtailment from 4.7 per cent to 17 per cent. Curtailment had peaked at 1,166.52 MU in July, while October 2025 recorded the highest share at 4.32 per cent of renewable generation.
September's curtailment fell 43.31 per cent month on month and 24 per cent from the corresponding month a year earlier. Real-time system constraints accounted for 146.73 MU, or 39 per cent, while Emergency TRAS Down in variable renewable energy accounted for 231.79 MU, or 61 per cent. Solar represented about 82 per cent of the energy curtailed through TRAS Down.
Gujarat and Rajasthan together contributed nearly 79 per cent of total curtailment, with 187.76 MU and 110 MU respectively. Gujarat contributed 43.75 MU of wind curtailment, while Rajasthan's curtailment was entirely solar. BESS could help store surplus midday generation and discharge it during evening peaks. September's curtailment equated to an average of 12.6 GWh per day, or an illustrative requirement of roughly 3 GW of four-hour storage, with priority potentially given to constrained locations in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.