India's Green Energy Challenge: Weather Woes and Tight Rules

India's renewable energy sector is facing a double whammy: unreliable weather forecasts and stricter regulations. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission has proposed tighter rules for wind and solar power producers. These rules aim to reduce the gap between the promised and actual power supply to the grid. The new regulations are set to take effect from April 2026. During a public hearing, clean energy developers raised concerns about the lack of precise weather forecasting models in India. The country's tropical monsoon climate makes weather patterns unpredictable. This unpredictability leads to errors in forecasting, unlike in countries like the U. S. and Europe, which have more predictable seasonal cycles. The Indian government's radars are primarily focused on disaster management. They are not deployed in renewable-energy-rich areas to assist in energy forecasting. The India Meteorological Department provides weather data, but it is updated only every six hours. This makes accurate short-term forecasting difficult. The renewable energy ministry has urged the power regulator to delay the stricter rules. They argue that hefty penalties could deter investments in the clean energy sector. The ministry believes that the current rules are already stringent enough. The challenge for India's clean energy sector is to balance the need for reliable power supply with the realities of unpredictable weather. Improved weather forecasting technology could help bridge this gap. Without it, the sector may struggle to meet the new regulatory requirements.