On a sweltering July afternoon this year, India achieved a significant milestone: for a brief period, electricity from renewable sources—such as solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear—met over half of the country's peak power demand. This was the second time such a feat occurred, with the first happening around the same time last year. While the momentary outperformance of renewables over coal-based power was short-lived, it marked a turning point in India’s energy landscape, highlighting the rapid growth of non-fossil fuels over the past decade. "Renewable energy is no longer a marginal source sitting at the edge of the power system," said Sumant Sinha, CEO of ReNew Power, one of India's largest clean energy firms. Despite this progress, coal remains the dominant source of electricity in India, accounting for about 70% of the country's power generation on average. This is largely because coal plants operate for more hours than intermittent sources like solar and wind. However, India’s renewable energy capacity has grown dramatically. A decade ago, it was just 4 gigawatts (GW), but today it stands at 300GW—making up 54% of the country's total installed capacity. This milestone was achieved five years ahead of schedule, reflecting a major shift in India's energy strategy. However, challenges remain, particularly in the transmission of renewable energy. The rapid expansion of renewable projects has outpaced the development of transmission infrastructure, leading to significant energy losses. According to Ember, a global energy think tank, transmission constraints accounted for nearly two-thirds of all renewable energy curtailment in the first quarter of 2026, amounting to 300 gigawatt-hours (GWh). This means a substantial portion of clean energy generated in India is wasted due to insufficient transmission capacity. Delays in inter-state transmission projects have further exacerbated the issue, with one in four projects experiencing delays of over a year. Experts like Sumant Sinha and Vibhuti Garg from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis note that the mismatch between the speed of renewable energy projects and the slower grid infrastructure is the most critical risk to India's goal of achieving 500GW of non-fossil electricity by 2030. While solutions like battery storage could help store excess energy for use during peak hours, such projects have been hindered by rising battery costs, raw material shortages, and increased financing costs due to the depreciation of the Indian rupee. These issues have made it difficult for Indian companies to secure the necessary funding for both storage and broader clean energy projects.