Early morning smog engulfs the capital city after Diwali celebrations, on November 9, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Photo: VCG

The Diwali fireworks have faded, but the smog over New Delhi has lingered. On Sunday, India's capital recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 376, its worst Diwali-day reading since 2021. On Tuesday morning, the AQI hovered above 300, remaining in the "very poor" category. Authorities imposed emergency curbs on certain construction activities and older, more polluting vehicles before the festival.

To blame the air crisis on fireworks alone would be missing the larger picture. Nearly every autumn and winter in recent years, emissions from automobile vehicles, factories and crop burning combine with construction dust and stagnant weather to blanket northern India in smog. Diwali is just a flashpoint in a much longer-running problem.

The deeper question is why severe air pollution remains such a persistent challenge for a country making strides in renewable energy. Part of the answer lies in the difficulty of turning the expansion of clean power into a broader shift away from fossil fuels and other sources of pollution.

India's solar expansion has been substantial. Installed capacity grew 38.8 percent to 135.81 gigawatts in 2025. Yet coal still accounted for about 71 percent of the country's electricity source last year, according to the International Energy Agency. That share was down from 74 percent in 2024, a sign of progress, but also a measure of how much conventional power India continues to rely on.

Solar power depends on sunlight, but factories and households need reliable power around the clock. Energy storage facilities and stronger grids are essential if rising renewable capacity is to displace more coal in India.

Rising electricity demand makes the transition even harder. In the first 10 months of the 2025-26 fiscal year, India added 8,810 megawatts of coal-fired capacity. For a fast-growing economy, maintaining reliable energy supply while changing its energy mix is a formidable task.

China's experience offers a useful perspective, though the two countries face different conditions. Between 2013 and 2022, China's PM2.5 concentration fell 57 percent while its GDP expanded by 69 percent. Here, stricter enforcement of environmental protection measures and revamping a country's old industrial structure are of great importance.

And, replacing coal-fired heating requires cleaner equipment and supporting infrastructure. Cutting vehicle emissions call for electric transportation and fast-charging networks, while tackling crop-residue burning needs machinery to collect and process agricultural waste. Making these alternatives widely available and affordable depended on manufacturing capacity, reliable supply chain and sustained investment. 

For India, taking emergency measures may ease severe pollution, but restrictions on construction and transportation would produce economic costs. Lasting improvements in air quality require cleaner, affordable alternatives that businesses and households could adopt, particularly as industrialization and urbanization continue.

The question is how India can accelerate this transition while strengthening its manufacturing base.

India has made domestic solar manufacturing a priority. Its Approved List of Models and Manufacturers framework is to extend to solar ingots and wafers from June 2028. However, in September 2025, Indian trade authorities recommended imposing anti-dumping duties on certain Chinese solar cells. 

Although domestic manufacturing tends to create jobs and build resilience, restrictive measures on imports would make clean-energy equipment scarcer and more costly, eventually slowing new energy transition. India should not turn its back on advanced clean technology and clean gears. 

This is where international cooperation could play a constructive role. China's manufacturing expertise in making batteries, electric vehicles and power storage facilities is of great help for India, which aspires to curb atmospheric pollution. 

As a matter of fact, China- developed clean technologies and products are welcomed by many countries in the world. In the first nine months of 2026, China's electric vehicle exports rose 72.3 percent year-on-year, lithium battery exports climbed 36.4 percent and exports of wind turbines and their components increased 22.4 percent, according to the Chinese customs authorities.

The opportunities are concrete: electric two- and three-wheelers could be assembled in India, while solar and storage systems could support Indian factories, and better irrigation and crop-residue equipment could serve rural communities there. Joint ventures, component sourcing and technology partnerships could create new business opportunities for Indian businesses. 

Such cooperation could also help Indian companies build expertise in manufacturing, engineering, maintenance and distribution, which will also strengthen India's participation in global supply chains while supporting India's pursuit of greater industrial self-reliance.

The smog is a reminder that progress in renewable energy cannot be measured by installed capacity alone. The real test is whether cleaner technologies can deliver meaningful improvements in factories, on city streets and in people's daily lives. For India, greater openness to international industrial and trade cooperation could help accelerate the new-energy transition and clean the nation's polluted air.