Help CleanTechnica’s work by means of a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
Right here is the reality the remainder of the world isn’t paying an excessive amount of consideration to: India has emerged as a renewable power powerhouse, remodeling from a coal-dependent economic system to turning into the world’s third-largest renewable power producer in lower than a decade. This outstanding transition showcases how creating nations can efficiently stability fast financial development with sustainable power improvement.
File-Breaking Progress Trajectory
The numbers inform a narrative of unprecedented enlargement. India’s renewable power capability has reached 203.18 GW as of October 2024, representing 46.3% of the nation’s whole put in capability of 452.69 GW. This achievement positions India forward of many developed nations in renewable power deployment and demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale clear power transitions in rising economies.
The photo voltaic sector has been the crown jewel of this transformation. From a modest 9.01 GW in March 2016, India’s photo voltaic capability skyrocketed to 97.86 GW by January 2025 — a rare 10-fold improve in simply 9 years. This development trajectory has established India as a worldwide photo voltaic manufacturing and deployment hub, driving down prices worldwide by means of economies of scale.
Diversified Renewable Portfolio
Whereas photo voltaic enlargement captures headlines, India’s renewable technique extends far past photovoltaics. Wind energy blows powerfully into the power combine, with latest peak era reaching 28,974 MW in January 2025. The federal government has dedicated to issuing bids for a minimum of 10 GW of wind capability yearly from 2023-24 to 2027-28, making certain continued diversification.
India ranks fifth globally in hydroelectric energy capability, with each large-scale tasks and distributed small hydro installations contributing to the renewable portfolio. The nation can also be exploring cutting-edge applied sciences, together with a latest partnership between Eco Wave Energy and Bharat Petroleum to develop India’s estimated 40,000 MW wave power potential.
Infrastructure Innovation at Scale
The infrastructure improvement supporting this development has been equally spectacular. India now operates 58 photo voltaic parks with a mixed sanctioned capability of 40 GW, creating renewable power clusters that optimize land use and transmission effectivity. This systematic strategy to large-scale deployment has turn out to be a mannequin for different creating nations.
Current momentum has accelerated even additional. In fiscal 12 months 2025, India added 25 GW of renewable capability — a 35% improve over the earlier 12 months’s 18.57 GW addition. This acceleration demonstrates the maturation of India’s renewable power ecosystem, from manufacturing and financing to challenge improvement and grid integration.
There are additionally tasks performed by partnerships from international investments. One instance is the ACEN Masaya Photo voltaic Facility.
ACEN is a part of the Philippine’s Ayala Group’s power platform, a 420 MWp photo voltaic farm positioned in Madhya Pradesh and since 2024 has been producing a most of about 690 GWh of fresh power yearly, stopping over 635,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.
This challenge created about 500 jobs, and is a partnership between ACEN and UPC Photo voltaic Asia Pacific financed by a 20-year mortgage from the State Financial institution of India. The $220 million challenge is now promoting energy to the Photo voltaic Vitality Company of India beneath a long-term settlement.
Local weather Management & International Affect
India’s renewable achievements prolong past home advantages to international local weather motion. The nation has diminished its carbon depth by 7% by means of FY24 whereas reaching 50% renewable power in its grid 5 years forward of goal. This efficiency exemplifies how rising economies can decouple financial development from carbon emissions.
The transformation has positioned India as a reputable chief in worldwide local weather boards. With present renewable capability at roughly 209 GW by December 2024, the nation is well-positioned to attain its bold 2030 goal of 500 GW from non-fossil gas sources, although vital challenges stay.
Past environmental advantages, India’s renewable transition has generated substantial financial benefits. The sector has created thousands and thousands of jobs throughout manufacturing, set up, and upkeep, whereas lowering dependence on fossil gas imports. Wind energy’s distinctive attribute of producing almost 60% of its output throughout nighttime hours enhances photo voltaic era patterns, offering pricing benefits akin to saved solar energy.
India’s renewable power journey since 2016 represents one of the vital profitable large-scale power transitions in trendy historical past. By combining bold coverage targets with systematic infrastructure improvement and technological innovation, India has demonstrated that creating nations can lead international clear power adoption whereas sustaining strong financial development. Because the nation continues towards its 2030 objectives, its expertise offers a beneficial blueprint for sustainable improvement worldwide.
India’s Photo voltaic Vitality Growth
India has a cumulative solar energy capability of 119.02 GW as of July 2025, with ground-mounted photo voltaic crops, grid-connected rooftop methods, hybrid tasks, and off-grid installations contributing to this whole. The nation possesses vital photo voltaic potential, receiving plentiful photo voltaic radiation all year long. India goals to turn out to be a worldwide chief in photo voltaic power, pushed by the Nationwide Photo voltaic Mission (NSM) launched in 2010 and supported by authorities initiatives just like the PM-KUSUM Scheme and the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
On the coronary heart of India’s photo voltaic revolution are two main authorities schemes managed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Vitality (MNRE). The PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in early 2024, goals to equip a outstanding 10 million households with rooftop photo voltaic methods. In keeping with press releases from India’s official Press Data Bureau (PIB), this program is anticipated so as to add 30 GW of photo voltaic capability to the residential sector, offering households with free or low-cost electrical energy. A key element of this initiative, which has a complete outlay of roughly $96 million, is the event of a “Mannequin Photo voltaic Village” in each district, the place every chosen village receives round $1.2 million in central monetary help.
The PM-KUSUM Scheme is a program particularly focusing on the agricultural sector that was prolonged till March 2026. This scheme, as famous by the EnergyMonitor.ai publication in April 2025, goals to enhance farmers’ earnings and scale back their dependence on diesel pumps by offering monetary help for the set up of 10,000 MW of decentralized solar energy crops, 1.5 million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps, and the solarization of three.5 million grid-connected pumps.
Past residential and agricultural use, India’s technique additionally consists of fostering a strong photo voltaic ecosystem by means of large-scale tasks and home manufacturing. The Photo voltaic Parks Scheme, facilitated by the MNRE, promotes huge grid-connected solar energy tasks by offering important infrastructure like land, energy evacuation services, and street entry. In keeping with latest PIB and MNRE experiences, as of March 31, 2025, 55 photo voltaic parks with a mixed capability of almost 40 GW have been permitted throughout 13 states, with over 12.8 GW already commissioned in 24 parks.
Combating Extreme Photo voltaic Price
To scale back import dependency, the Indian authorities additionally launched the Manufacturing Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Excessive-Effectivity Photo voltaic PV Modules, a program with a finances of roughly $2.88 billion. This scheme, as reported by EnergyMonitor.aigoals to spice up home manufacturing, and Letters of Award have already been issued for establishing 48.3 GW of latest manufacturing capability.
India’s push for photo voltaic is mirrored in a number of the world’s most bold tasks. Blackridge Analysis highlighted a number of of those in its April 2025 report on upcoming renewable power tasks. One such challenge is the monumental Khavda Renewable Vitality Park within the Kutch district of Gujarat. This 30 GW photo voltaic and wind hybrid challenge is ready to turn out to be the world’s largest renewable power park, with 2 GW of capability already operational as of early 2025. Within the high-altitude area of Ladakh, one other landmark challenge is underway: a 13 GW solar energy plant with a battery power storage system (BESS). Anticipated to be accomplished by 2030, this initiative consists of in depth transmission infrastructure to fulfill the power wants of the Union Territory.
Summarizing Photo voltaic Capability & Composition
Complete cumulative solar energy capability as of July 2025 119.02 GW
Floor-mounted photo voltaic crops 90.99 GW
Grid-connected rooftop photo voltaic methods 19.88 GW
Hybrid tasks (photo voltaic element) 3.06 GW
Off-grid photo voltaic installations 5.09 GW
Join CleanTechnica’s Weekly Substack for Zach and Scott’s in-depth analyses and excessive stage summariesjoin our every day e-newsletterand observe us on Google Information!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Need to promote? Need to recommend a visitor for our CleanTech Speak podcast? Contact us right here.
Join our every day e-newsletter for 15 new cleantech tales a day. Or join our weekly one on high tales of the week if every day is simply too frequent.
CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage right here.
CleanTechnica’s Remark Coverage
