One Quarter of Power-Sector Data in One Place: How to Use CREA's Snapshot

The Numbers

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air publishes a quarterly snapshot of India's energy sector, compiling figures from official sources. Its Q2 2026-27 edition covers July to September 2026. CREA is an independent research organisation focused on energy and air quality. Its snapshots are summaries of public data, and its readers should treat them as secondary compilations of primary sources. We read the snapshot page.

The numbers: • Demand: peak of 270 GW on 16 July 2026, up 18% from 230 GW in the same quarter a year earlier. The daily peak fell within solar hours on 62 of the 92 days. Highest state peaks: Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra at 27 GW each, Gujarat 23 GW and Tamil Nadu 20 GW. • Generation: up 11% to 536 billion units. Coal and lignite 351 billion units, about 66%, up 12.5% from 312. Solar up 39%, wind 29%, nuclear 26%, hydro down 20%. Renewables excluding large hydro passed 100 billion units for the first time (101). Non-fossil generation was a record 177 billion units, up from 163. • Solar and wind: a daily solar record of 705 million units on 30 September; solar's share in the growth of renewable generation 58%; solar capacity factor averaging 18.3% and wind 37%; solar capacity 168 GW; renewables added 7 GW in the quarter; about 1,835 million units curtailed in July and August (1,462 solar, 373 wind). • Coal: consumption near 79 million tonnes a month from June to September; dispatch down from 74 million tonnes in May to 66 million tonnes in August; stocks of 21 million tonnes on 30 September, 36% of the normative 58 million; plants with stocks below 25% of requirement rising from 32 on 22 August to 85 on 1 October; plant load factor 68%. • Storage and capacity: about 9.1 GWh of battery storage, with 3 GWh more expected by December 2026; up to 5.5 GW supplied at night; total installed capacity 555 GW in August with non-fossil about 55%; 44 GW of coal capacity under construction, about 90% less than half complete. • Emissions: the page did not report emissions or air-pollution figures for the quarter.

Our Arithmetic Checks

Coal at 351 of 536 billion units is 65.5%, in line with "about 66%". The increase in coal from 312 to 351 is 12.5%. A peak of 270 against 230 is a rise of 17.4%, slightly under the 18% stated; the difference may be rounding in the inputs. Stocks of 21 against a requirement of 58 are 36.2%. The growth in non-fossil generation is 14 billion units (177 minus 163), against 39 billion units of extra coal generation (351 minus 312), which we computed to show that coal added more in absolute terms.

“A snapshot is a starting point. The primary data are the end point.”

What to Cross-Check & What Is Omitted

What to cross-check: 1. Peak demand. We have not compared CREA's peak with figures from the grid operator, so we make no claim about agreement or conflict; a reader quoting a peak should say whose figure it is. 2. Capacity. MNRE's data show 162.15 GW of solar on 30 June; CREA's 168 GW is for a later date and may be from a different compilation. They are consistent in direction. 3. Coal. Compare the plant-level stocks with the Ministry of Coal's and the Central Electricity Authority's reports. 4. Rail. Indian Railways' September loading, with coal up 9%, is a related measure, covering the whole network.

What the snapshot does not tell us: • Whether outages occurred. • Tariffs or the cost of power. • Emissions in the quarter. • Reasons for the fall in coal dispatch. • Regional breakdowns beyond the top four state peaks.

Questions for Authors & Citation Guidance

Questions for the authors: our list: 1. Which official source provides each series, and at what frequency? 2. How is curtailment defined and measured? 3. What explains the fall in dispatch between May and August? 4. How are battery operational figures verified? 5. When will the emissions estimates be published?

How to cite it: "CREA, India Energy Snapshot, Q2 2026-27 (July to September 2026)." State the series, for example "plant coal stocks on 30 September 2026", with the date. Distinguish what CREA computed from what it took from official data.