Look Amazing - Why India Just Suffered the World's Biggest Blackout

A grid malfunction in the northern city of Agra may be the cause, the International Business Times reported .

Another culprit may be northern Indian states drawing more power from the country's grid than they were allotted. India has circuit breakers to cut off power to states that overdraw, but state officials may have told the circuit breaker personnel not to shut off their power, Surendra Rao, former chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, told the New York Times. Federal officials will penalize overdrawing states, Shinde told the New York Times.

In addition, this year, delayed monsoon rains increased farmers' demand for irrigation-related electricity while reducing the water available for hydroelectricity, which accounts for 20 percent of India's grid, according to Businessweek and Reuters.

To examine coal: It provides 60 percent of India's power and just one government-owned company, Coal India, is responsible for much of the country's supply. Yet Coal India often falls short of its targets. Coal- based electricity was historically cheap in India, but is now getting more expensive, National Geographic reported. Coal plants also face opposition from environmental groups.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is working to increase the amount of nuclear power in India's grid, but a nuclear power project with the U.S. was scrapped because of safety fears, the International Business Times reported.