India achieves record renewable energy capacity
Meena Janardhan
Writer/Editor/Consultant. She has over 25 years of experience in the fields of environmental journalism and publishing.
- 3 hours ago
Latest data from India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that India has added record 29.5 GW renewable energy (RE) capacity in the fiscal year (FY) 2025. Total RE capacity now stands at 220.1 GW, with major growth in solar manufacturing and storage projects supporting the 2030 goal of 500 GW clean energy, according to a Financial Express (FE) analysis. According to the CEA, a record 34,054 megawatts (MW) of capacity, from all sources, was added during FY25. India has already achieved an unprecedented level of solar installations in the first 11 months of FY25. As per the FE analysis, India added 29.52 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy in the fiscal year 2024-25, a record annual capacity addition, taking the country’s total installed renewable energy capacity to 220.10 GW as of March 31. In FY24, the country’s installed RE capacity stood at 198.75 GW.
Among the renewable energy sources, solar energy contributed the highest to the year’s capacity expansion with 23.83 GW added in the last fiscal, a significant increase over the 15.03 GW added in the previous year, as per official data. The total installed solar capacity now stands at 105.65 GW, including 81.01 GW from ground-mounted installations, 17.02 GW from rooftop solar, 2.87 GW from solar components of hybrid projects, and 4.74 GW from off-grid systems.
The country also added 4.15 GW of new wind capacity compared with 3.25 GW in FY24. The total cumulative installed wind capacity now stands at 50.04 GW. As per the government data, bioenergy installations reached a total capacity of 11.58 GW, which includes 0.53 GW from off-grid and waste-to-energy projects. Small hydro power projects have achieved a capacity of 5.10 GW, with a further 0.44 GW under implementation.
A FortuneIndia report had pointed out that in the last 10 years, India has focused on adding 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity, but one main concern has been lower productivity from renewables and the inability to provide adequate power during peak hour demand. The solutions suggested were to set up hybrid power (solar and wind together) and investments in storage systems. That is fructifying as India successfully met an all-time maximum power demand of 250 GW during FY25. Thanks to significant additions in generation and transmission capacities, energy shortages at the national level have reduced to a mere 0.1% in FY25, a major improvement from 4.2% in FY14, the report says, quoting Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) sources. In addition to the already installed capacities, India has 169.40 GW of renewable energy projects under implementation and 65.06 GW already tendered, says MNRE. This includes 65.29 GW from hybrid systems, round-the-clock (RTC) power, peaking power, and thermal plus RE bundling projects, a strategic shift towards ensuring grid stability and reliable supply from renewable sources.
The CEA has also approved a record number of detailed project reports (DPRs) of six hydro pumped storage projects (PSPs) of about 7.5 GW during FY2024-25, according to the Indian Ministry of Power, marking a key milestone in India’s ongoing commitment to developing advanced and long-term energy storage solutions. The development of these projects will boost energy storage capacity drastically in the country, making a major contribution to grid reliability and supporting India’s ambitious renewable energy goals.
According to data presented on the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) website, the country is the third-largest producer and consumer of electricity worldwide, with an installed power capacity of 442.85 GW as of April 30, 2024. Growing population along with increasing electrification and per-capita usage will provide further impetus.
India has committed to augment non fossil fuel based installed electricity generation capacity to over 500,000 MW by 2031-32. It has unveiled a comprehensive plan worth $109.50 billion to enhance its power infrastructure and meet a projected demand of 458 GW by 2032 and plans to invest US$ 107 billion by 2032 to develop additional transmission lines, supporting its goal to nearly triple its clean power capacity.
Quoting a report by Motilal Oswal, the IBEF website highlights that the Indian power sector presents an investment opportunity worth $461.95 billion over the next decade, driven by rising demand, infrastructure upgrades, and the transition to clean energy.