India has exceeded the milestone of 200 GW of cumulative installed renewable energy capacity
It is led by solar PV’s 90.76 GW share that comprises the 70.05 GW ground-mounted segment
Renewable energy now represents 46.3% share of the country’s total power generation installed capacity
Led by solar power, the cumulative operational renewable energy capacity of India has now exceeded 200 GW, representing 46.3% of the country’s total installed capacity as of October 2024, says the country’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
In absolute numbers, the country’s total electricity generation capacity has reached 452.69 GW, comprising 201.45 GW of renewable capacity. Solar power leads with a 45.1% share or 90.76 GW, followed by 47.36 GW of wind energy and 46.92 GW of hydropower. The remaining renewable energy technologies, namely bio power comprises biomass and biogas energy with 11.32 GW, and small hydro power with 5.07 GW add up to the total.
For solar PV, the ground-mounted segment makes up the lion’s share with 70.05 GW. Grid-connected rooftop solar contributed 14.30 GW, and hybrid projects with a solar component added another 2.63 GW. Off-grid solar capacity now stands at 3.78 GW.
Among states, Rajasthan leads the country’s renewable energy capacity additions at 29.98 GW with its abundant sunlight and vast stretches of desert land, closely followed by Gujarat’s 29.52 GW thanks to its focus on solar and wind energy projects. Tamil Nadu’s 23.70 GW is mainly due to favorable wind patterns, while Karnataka’s 22.37 GW is a result of a mix of solar and wind initiatives.
The ministry attributes to this growth in renewable energy capacity to some of its key schemes and programs including the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for solar. It has so far conducted 2 rounds to award financial incentives to bring online over 48 GW of local vertically integrated solar PV manufacturing capacity (see India Allocates 39.6 GW PV Under PLI Tranche-II).
Demand for solar energy is also being encouraged through the agricultural solar feeder scheme PM-KUSUM, and the newly launched residential rooftop solar PV program PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, both of which target to install over 30 GW each (see MNRE Revises Solar Target Under PM-KUSUM Scheme and India Eyeing 30 GW Rooftop Solar Capacity With New Scheme).
It is now 300 GW short of its 500 GW non-fossil fuel power generation capacity target for 2030. Its 50 GW annual renewable energy bidding plan should help it cover up the remainder (see India Releases Bidding Trajectory For RE).
Under the country’s National Electricity Plan (Transmission), India will aim to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, and over 600 GW by 2032.
At the recent Brainstorming Session on the Indian Power Sector Scenario 2047, organized by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the agency Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad said the country will aim for 1.2 TW of solar and over 400 GW of wind power capacity by 2047. This will be required to cater to the anticipated 708 GW of anticipated demand for electricity in the centennial year of Indian independence.
Speaking at a Central Electricity Authority (CEA) event in New Delhi recently, Union Minister of Power Manohar Lal said that the country’s power demand is expected to reach 708 GW by 2047, which means it needs to increase its capacity by 4 times, i.e. 2.1 TW.