From June 2025 to May 2026, fossil sources supplied about 71% of India’s electricity, while low-carbon sources provided almost 29%. Coal dominated the mix at roughly 68%, with gas contributing just over 2%. Among clean electricity sources, solar supplied about 9.5%, hydropower almost 9%, wind about 6%, nuclear nearly 3%, and biofuels almost 2%. India therefore still relies heavily on fossil electricity, but its low-carbon sources already supply a substantial share. Expanding clean generation can help reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in India?

Electricity consumption in India is growing: the latest 2026 figure reached 1,381 kWh per person, surpassing the 2025 record of 1,353 kWh by 28 kWh, or about 2%. Low-carbon electricity generation also reached a new high of 400 kWh per person, up from 378 kWh in 2025—a gain of 22 kWh, or nearly 6%. It is encouraging that clean generation per person is growing faster than overall electricity consumption per person. Sustaining and accelerating this growth will help meet rising demand from electrification and AI.

Suggestions

India can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar, nuclear, and wind alongside stronger electricity grids. Nearby Pakistan offers a relevant example: solar supplies about 24% of its electricity and nuclear another 13%, compared with India’s roughly 9.5% and 3%. India can also learn from sunny regions such as Chile, where solar supplies about 24%, and the US state of Nevada, where it supplies 35%. For nuclear expansion, South Korea generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, while France generates about two-thirds; their experience offers useful lessons in building a substantial clean electricity supply. Wind development can draw on examples such as the US state of Texas, where wind supplies about 22% of electricity. Combining these approaches could substantially increase India’s clean electricity output.

History

India’s low-carbon electricity history shows increasingly strong growth, particularly in solar. Hydropower increased by about 17 TWh in both 2005 and 2011, fell by roughly 16 TWh in 2012, and rebounded by 22 TWh in 2013. In the later 2010s, wind and biofuels added about 13 and 17 TWh respectively in 2016, solar added 14 TWh in 2018, and hydropower gained 16 TWh in 2019, although biofuels fell by 14 TWh that year. Solar’s momentum strengthened in the 2020s: it added 13 TWh in 2020, 26 TWh in 2022, around 19–22 TWh annually in 2023–2024, 32 TWh in 2025, and 23 TWh in 2026. Hydropower and biofuels each added roughly 14–15 TWh in 2022, but hydropower’s 26 TWh decline in 2023 was a disappointing setback. The broad gains in 2025—about 32 TWh from solar, 26 TWh from wind, and 22 TWh from hydropower—were especially encouraging.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jun 2025 – May 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.