Solar power combined with battery storage has reached a price point in India where it can affordably meet the vast majority of the country’s electricity needs. According to the authors of the newly released report, this technology combination can now supply 90% of the nation’s power demand at a cost of 5.06 rupees per kilowatt-hour, which is approximately 56 dollars per megawatt-hour.
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 for many major regions, the “modelled LCOE is on average around 15% lower than current procurement costs.”
These figures represent the average price of generating and storing energy over the entire lifetime of the equipment. At these rates, using solar panels during the day and batteries to provide power at night is now cheaper than the average price many Indian states pay to buy electricity from traditional sources. This means that a system relying almost entirely on the sun is no longer just an environmental goal, but a cheaper financial option than the current power mix in most parts of the country.
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.
