Tamil Nadu's wind power tops 100 MU for eighth straight day, solar output hits record high

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu's wind energy generation remained above the 100 million units (MU) mark for the eighth consecutive day on Monday, while solar power evacuation touched a record daily high of 60.4 MU, enabling renewable sources to contribute more than 40% of the State's electricity consumption.

Data from the State load dispatch centre showed wind power generation at 118 MU on July 6, after recording 112.9 MU on July 5, 119.16 MU on July 4, 124.34 MU on July 3, 118.87 MU on July 2, 118.06 MU on July 1, 115.17 MU on June 30 and 109.32 MU on June 29.

The highest daily wind energy evacuation recorded so far is 124.34 MU on July 3, 2026, bettering the previous highest of 123.85 MU on August 16, 2025.

Solar generation, meanwhile, climbed to a record 60.4 MU on July 6, overtaking the previous highest daily generation of 58.60 MU recorded on April 18, 2026. The surge came despite the southwest monsoon season, when cloud cover typically affects solar output.

The State also recorded a peak solar generation of 7,660 MW on July 6. However, the all-time maximum instantaneous solar generation remains 7,867.90 MW, achieved on April 18, 2026.

The contribution of wind and solar to the State's daily electricity consumption remained consistently high over the past week. On July 5, the two sources generated 167 MU, meeting 43.7% of the day's demand of 381.91 MU. The share stood at 38.1% on July 4, 39.8% on July 3, 40.3% on July 2, 39.1% on July 1, 39.1% on June 30 and 39.1% on June 29.

State electricity consumption remained above 420 MU on most days during the period, peaking at 444.54 MU on July 3. Despite the high demand, the sustained renewable generation helped reduce dependence on conventional thermal power, with favourable southwest monsoon winds driving wind generation and strong solar output reflecting the State's expanding renewable energy capacity.

Renewable Energy Producers Association CEO K Venkatachalam said that wind energy generation has crossed the 100 MU mark for the eighth successive day due to seasonal impacts. He, however, noted that despite blackouts and evacuation constraints, the wind generation has remained high for the past eight days. He said that this year, wind availability was predicted to be 10 per cent to 15 per cent less due to the El Niño effect.