New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- For a country that recorded all of the world's it this April, India's ability to harness the sun's energy took decades to take off. It wasn't until 2011-12 that the country crossed a critical milestone: 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed solar power capacity. The next significant milestone was 100GW, achieved more than a decade later, in early 2025.

India has galloped since, adding nearly 50GW of solar power capacity in 2025 and reaching 168.04GW by 31 August this year. It's a stellar achievement. But it is beginning to strain the country's vast electricity grid.

India's transmission infrastructure is struggling to carry all the electricity generated when the sun shines. Surplus solar power can congest the grid, while in...