New Delhi: Riding on the growing contribution of solar power in the power generation mix, India on Saturday easily met its maximum power demand of 256 gigawatt (GW), the highest ever in a single day, amid rising temperatures across the country.At the time of peak demand of 256.1 GW, which was reached at 3.38 pm, solar power contributed about 57 GW or about 22% of the total generation. Data from the Grid Controller of India showed that around 12.30 pm, power generation from solar plants and rooftop systems increased to about 81 GW, about a third of the total generation of 242 GW, underscoring its growing importance in the power mix.

Generation contributes 22% to meet heatwave-driven spike

Driven by higher consumption, Saturday’s demand also surpassed the previous record of 252.1 GW set a day earlier on April 24. The Power Ministry has estimated the maximum demand to reach 271 GW this year.While coal-fired plants continue to provide baseload, officials said the contribution of non-fossil sources – including solar, wind, hydro and nuclear – has increased significantly.PM Narendra Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ stressed the importance of renewable energy amid global instability, called solar and wind the key to India’s future and urged adoption of clean energy. He described the achievement of criticality by the Kalpakkam Fast Breeder Reactor as a “historic milestone”.Santosh Sarangi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said that solar power generation including rooftop systems is growing rapidly and is playing an important role in meeting the peak demand. “With more installation of battery energy storage systems, it will also be able to meet the evening peak demand in future,” he said.