Record-breaking heatwaves are directly fuelling a surge in electricity demand, thus increasing the country’s dependence on fossil fuel, a new study released on Thursday has warned, calling for urgent investment in renewable energy storage and smart grid infrastructure to break India’s “heat-power trap”.

The report, ‘Breaking the Cycle’—jointly published by Climate Tends and Climate Compatible Futures—shows that the number of heatwave days with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius spiked sharply over the last decade, with 14 states recording a 15 per cent increase in summer heat intensity between 2015 and 2024.

India’s annual average temperature in 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 baseline.

As temperatures climbed, electricity demand rose in tandem—with heatwa

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