JMK Research says India added 35.2 GW of solar capacity between January and September 2026
Gujarat and Rajasthan led renewable capacity additions, together contributing more than half of the combined solar and wind installations
Analysts expect solar and wind capacity additions to maintain momentum in Q4 2026
India added 35.2 GW of solar capacity in the first nine months of 2026, marking a 19.5% increase year-on-year (YoY), according to JMK Research & Analytics. Utility-scale projects accounted for the largest share of new installations, followed by rooftop solar.
In comparison, wind energy additions totaled 4.69 GW during the January-September period, down 5.5% YoY.
Citing data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), JMK Research, says that India's cumulative installed renewable energy capacity reached approximately 299.2 GW by September 2026. Solar accounted for about 57% of this capacity, followed by wind at 20% and large hydropower at 17%.
During the reporting period, utility-scale solar projects accounted for 24.4 GW of the new solar capacity installed. Installations were highest in Q1 at 12.12 GW, before declining to 6.87 GW in Q2 and 5.4 GW in Q3.
Rooftop solar contributed approximately 9.8 GW during the nine-month period, taking cumulative rooftop solar capacity to 33.4 GW by the end of September. Around 34% of the new rooftop capacity was installed in Q3.
The off-grid and distributed solar segment added about 1.04 GW during the same period, accounting for approximately 3% of total solar capacity additions.
Gujarat led combined solar and wind capacity additions with approximately 12.9 GW installed between January and September 2026. Rajasthan followed with around 9 GW, while Maharashtra ranked third with approximately 3 GW. Together, Gujarat and Rajasthan accounted for about 55% of the country's combined solar and wind additions.
The five leading states — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — contributed approximately 76% of the total, according to the analysts.
JMK Research expects India to add another 10 GW to 12 GW of combined solar and wind capacity in the fourth quarter of 2026. This could take total additions for the calendar year above 50 GW.
Earlier this year, JMK Research projected India’s solar installations to reach 42.5 GW in calendar year (CY) 2026 (see JMK Research Projects India To Install 42.5 GW Solar In CY2026).
