Modernizing the grid in India.

I recently read an insightful article in The Hindu (June 20, 2026) titled "India's cheapest power is here, the grid must catch up," authored by faculty from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. The authors highlight that while India added 45 GW of solar and wind in 2025, transmission bottlenecks leave approximately 50 GW of renewable energy stranded. 

They propose four key measures to augment capacity using existing infrastructure: 

1. Strategic Battery Storage: Utilizing idle transmission lines at night to provide up to 400 GW of additional clean energy. 

2. Coal Corridor Utilization: Building renewables near underutilized or aging coal plants to leverage existing grid connections (approx. 100 GW capacity). 

3. Existing Substation Leverage: Pumping more renewable and stored energy through current infrastructure (approx. 100 GW). 

4. Wire Modernization: Replacing older wires with high-capacity, low-sag materials to potentially double capacity without new land acquisition (approx. 1000 GW). 

 Building on these points, I would like to offer the following suggestions for grid planning and modernization: 

- Substation Entry Points for Portable Generation: Beyond solar and wind, we should prepare for mobile SMRs and hydrogen fuel cell generators. Similar to EV charging stations, we should plan for "plug-in" points at switchyards to accommodate portable container-based generators (5-10 MW). 

 - HVDC Conversion: We should explore converting strategic EHV transmission lines into Bipolar HVDC lines. For double-circuit lines, this could quadruple existing capacity. 

 - Advanced Power Electronics: The adoption of SiC-based devices, solid-state circuit breakers, and solid-state transformers should be prioritized to reduce substation footprints and improve equipment longevity. 

 - Distribution Sector Efficiency (MVDC): Significant losses occur at 33kV and below. We should explore Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) by converting radial distribution lines to bipolar DC and installing inverters at pole-mounted substations to improve capacity and power quality. 

While new transmission lines are necessary, maximizing our current infrastructure is essential for India’s growth. I believe these factors are critical for upcoming policy and technical planning.

 Best regards, 

 Prafull Jaltare 

Co-Founder, KNOPOWER Academy for Power System Engineering 

www.knopower.com