India can meet the vast majority of its power needs using solar energy and batteries at a cost lower than current electricity prices in most of its states, according to the authors of the newly released report. The study finds that combining these technologies could reliably supply 90% of the country’s electricity demand while remaining economically competitive with traditional coal power.
The report states that “Ember’s modelling shows that solar and batteries could supply 90% of India’s electricity demand at an LCOE of INR 5.06/kWh ($56/MWh).” It further notes that “the modelled LCOE for states ranges from INR 4.96/kWh ($55/MWh) in Andhra Pradesh to INR 5.48/kWh ($60/MWh) in Uttar Pradesh.”
This means that the total cost of building and running solar plants alongside battery storage systems has dropped so much that it is now cheaper than what many Indian regions currently pay for their electricity. Essentially, batteries solve the problem of the sun not shining at night by storing extra energy during the day, allowing India to move away from more expensive and polluting coal-fired power plants.
The report “Battery storage is now cheap enough to unleash India’s full solar potential” was published by the energy think tank Ember on April 7, 2026. It was prepared by a team of analysts led by Kostantsa Rangelova and Duttatreya Das.
