India’s energy challenge is increasingly becoming a cooling challenge. As extreme heat drives electricity demand from air conditioning and other cooling services, it is straining an already stressed grid.

On May 21, for instance, peak demand exceeded the Central Electricity Authority’s 2026 projection of 270 gigawatt, with some regions in the country facing power cuts.

Air conditioners account for 40% to 60% of peak summer load in large Indian cities, studies show. The growing demand has exposed the vulnerability of India’s power system, as is evident in the regular power cuts, equipment breakdowns, outages, and transformer burnouts across the country.

Such disruptions highlight that the challenge of India’s energy transition is no longer limited to adding renewable energy capacity – it is also about building a resilient power system capable of equitably meeting rapidly increasing demand.

Extreme heat does not merely increase power demand; it also weakens the infrastructure required to meet that demand. Around 1.3 million distribution transformer failures occur in India annually due to factors such as overloading and poor repairs.

Heatwaves also impact transmission infrastructure, as overhead lines sag and trip under soaring temperatures. All this results in mounting transmission and distribution losses and further adds to power shortages.

India’s cooling energy demand has been increasing drastically and is poised to grow 15-fold...

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