The majority of Indian households depend on LPG. Check the gas cylinder; it feels light, and you book a refill. Sometimes it comes the next day. Sometimes it takes longer. But now with global supply chains under pressure, this wait feels more stressful than ever.
The world has been facing crude oil supply issues in recent times. The ongoing conflict in West Asia has disrupted energy routes, especially through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea passage through which nearly 85 per cent of India’s imported LPG travels. When that route gets blocked, Indian kitchens feel it almost immediately.
In March 2026, the government raised the price of a 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder by Rs 60, taking it to Rs 913 in Delhi. Commercial cylinders used by restaurants and hotels jumped even more sharply. Also, hoarding by locals has created a chaotic situation in society. The government had to invoke the Essential Commodities Act to manage distribution.
The hard truth is that India imports the majority of its LPG. With every global crisis, the dependency becomes a serious vulnerability. This is not new, but it has never felt as urgent as it does right now. So the question is, what do we do about it?
Switch to Surya Nutan
In 2022, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil), the same company that delivers your Indane cylinders, unveiled something quite different from its usual business. They called it Surya Nutan, which roughly translates to “the new sun.”
It is an indoor solar cooking system. Designed and developed entirely at IndianOil’s R&D Centre in Faridabad and protected by a patent, Surya Nutan is not an average solar cooker. Traditional solar cookers need to be placed outside under direct sunlight. They are bulky, inconvenient and completely useless on cloudy days. Surya Nutan is none of those things.
So how does it work? Solar panels are installed on the rooftop of your home, just like any solar setup. But instead of generating electricity to power a regular induction cooktop, the system captures solar energy and delivers it directly to the kitchen cooktop through a cable. The cooktop stays inside the kitchen. You cook just like you normally would, dal, idli sabzi, roti, everything.
What makes it practical is its hybrid mode. The system can run on solar energy and regular electricity at the same time. So on cloudy days or during monsoon season, it does not leave you stranded. You are never without a way to cook. IndianOil also designed it so that you can cook while the solar panels are still charging the system. This online cooking mode means you are using solar energy as it is being produced, maximising efficiency without wasting a single ray of sunlight.
What Does It Cost?
Surya Nutan comes in three models. The base model starts at around Rs 12,000, and the premium model, which can handle breakfast, lunch and dinner for a family of four, is priced at around Rs 23,000. IndianOil has acknowledged that these prices are expected to come down significantly as production scales up.
A household that uses six or seven LPG cylinders a year currently spends close to Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,500 annually on cooking gas, not counting potential future hikes. Over five years, that is Rs 22,000 to Rs 25,000, roughly what the premium Surya Nutan model costs. After that initial investment, cooking becomes nearly free during daylight hours.
IndianOil Director (R&D) S S V Ramakumar once pointed out that every kilogram of LPG saved through this system prevents about three kilograms of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. For a country that is trying to meet its climate targets while also managing a massive import bill, which is significant on both counts.
The system has been piloted across more than 50 locations in five Indian cities, including in challenging environments like Ladakh, where solar intensity is high. The cooking speed is reportedly comparable to an LPG stove, a crucial point, because no one wants to wait longer for their morning chai.
Why We Should Pay Attention Right Now
The LPG crisis has exposed something that energy experts have been saying for years: India cannot afford to depend on a single imported fuel for its cooking needs. India consumed 31.3 million tonnes of LPG in 2024-25. Of that, only 12.8 million tonnes were produced domestically. The rest came from abroad, most of it through the Strait of Hormuz.
When that route is disrupted even partially, the consequences ripple across every kitchen, restaurant and tea stall in the country. Oil marketing companies lost roughly Rs 40,000 crore in under recoveries in 2024-25, trying to keep domestic prices manageable. The government had to compensate them with Rs 30,000 crore. These are not small numbers. They are ultimately paid for by taxpayers.
A system like Surya Nutan does not solve India’s energy problem overnight. But for individual households, it offers something rare, i.e. freedom from the gas cylinder. No more waiting for refills. No more anxiety when global tensions push prices up. No more rationing your cooking to stretch the gas.
Other Alternatives Worth Knowing
Surya Nutan is promising, but it is also one of several alternatives households can consider. Piped Natural Gas (PNG) is perhaps the most accessible option for urban families. Supplied directly through underground pipelines like water connections, PNG eliminates the need for cylinder bookings altogether. The government is actively expanding PNG networks across Indian cities. It is generally cheaper than LPG per unit and safer because methane, unlike LPG, is lighter than air and disperses quickly if there is a leak. The catch is that pipelines have not yet reached most of semi-urban and rural India.
Induction cooktops are another practical alternative. They use electromagnetic energy to heat vessels directly, making them faster and more energy-efficient than gas stoves. Modern induction cooktops come with preset modes for common Indian dishes. The downside is that you need flat-bottomed, induction-compatible vessels and a stable electricity supply.
Biogas is particularly well-suited for rural households. Produced from organic waste like kitchen scraps, animal dung, and agricultural residue, the biogas plants can supply steady cooking fuel at very low cost after the initial setup. A 2026 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) found that households using biogas reduced their firewood use by about 70% annually, with significant improvements in indoor air quality. The government’s GOBAR-Dhan scheme is actively promoting this.
Electric pressure cookers and rice cookers may not replace a gas stove entirely, but they can significantly cut how much gas a household uses. Many Indian families are finding that shifting just rice, dal, sambhar and similar dishes to these appliances reduces their cylinder consumption noticeably.
The IISD, in a report released in early 2026, recommended a twin-track approach where scale electric cooking in urban areas and biogas in rural areas will increase, even while LPG continues to play a supporting role. The message is clear: there is no single answer, but there are many good ones.
Calls for Action
India’s LPG crisis is not a temporary blip. It reflects deeper structural vulnerabilities that have been building for decades. The Strait of Hormuz will not always be disrupted, but global energy markets will always be volatile. That is just the reality.
Surya Nutan represents something important: a homegrown, patented solution designed by Indian scientists, for Indian kitchens, using the one resource India has in abundance, sunlight. It is not perfect, and it is not for everyone right now. But at Rs 12,000 to Rs 23,000 for a one-time investment, it is far more affordable than it sounds when you factor in years of savings on gas bills.
The LPG-related issue can make a lot of people uncomfortable. But this discomfort, when directed well, will create change. This is perhaps the right moment for Indian households to look seriously at what Surya Nutan and other alternatives can offer. The sun rises for India every morning for thousands of years, regardless of what happens at the Strait of Hormuz or in the world.
