Solar power generation experienced sudden dips between December 2024 and February 2025 due to cloud cover over large swathes of northern India, resulting in demand-supply gaps that led to low frequency and localized high voltages in the grid.

Solar generation experienced significant drops from the previous day on seven occasions during the three-month period. The highest drop was seen on February 25, when the difference in generation from the previous day was 33.33%. Solar generation on February 24 was 126 million units.

The government recently informed Parliament that sudden ramp-ups after the clearance of cloud cover could result in high-frequency and localized low voltages in the grid. Changes in renewable energy generation require compensation from other generation resources for frequency control and reactive power support. To maintain the load generation balance, measures such as increasing generation from thermal power projects are taken.

The Ministry of Power (MoP) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences have been interacting closely and regularly to ensure the sharing of accurate weather data with stakeholders for renewable energy generation forecasting.

Further, weather data from all interstate transmission system-connected renewable energy installations are being shared by Grid-India with the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting four times to improve weather forecast.

The Ministry of Power has also modified bidding guidelines to include the installation of an Automatic Weather System (AWS) at all renewable energy projects. Sharing the AWS data will enhance the quality of weather forecasting for all stakeholders.

IIT Bombay is also developing an indigenous renewable energy forecasting tool.

India’s electricity grid has come under strain because of fluctuations in solar and wind energy generation and demand-supply gaps. In August 2024, the grid witnessed persistent high frequency above the ceiling of 50.05 Hz for 26% to 38% of the time for three days. All three days were Sundays, when power demand usually drops. The contributing factors were the over-injection of solar and wind energy, limited flexibility from hydropower stations, and pumped storage projects.

Last November, the Central Electricity Authority approved the Uniform Protection Protocol to ensure grid stability, reliability, and security and safely integrate 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and 2,100 GW by 2047.

Recently, the National Load Despatch Centre, in its short-term Resource Adequacy report, recommended optimizing battery energy storage systems and pumped storage charge- discharge cycles, particularly charging during solar hours (10–16 hours) and discharging during demand peaks, to strengthen grid stability.