India triples renewable energy capacity to 232 GW in decade, emerging as global leader

India has witnessed a remarkable surge in renewable energy capacity over the past decade, tripling its installed green power capacity to 232 GW, including large hydropower plants, compared to just 75.52 GW in March 2014, according to official sources.

This growth has positioned India as a global leader in renewable energy, driven in part by an 80% drop in the tariff for grid-connected solar power, now at ₹10.95 per unit for a 170 MW project in Neemuch.

India’s solar capacity alone has soared from 2.82 GW in 2014 to over 108 GW today, while wind energy capacity has more than doubled to 51 GW from 21 GW during the same period.

Sources highlighted that during the UPA government’s tenure, India’s solar manufacturing industry was nearly non-existent, producing just 2 GW of solar modules in 2014.

“In 2024, India has transformed into a global leader, with solar module manufacturing skyrocketing to 90 GW, and by 2030, the nation will reach an impressive 150 GW,” they said.

In 2014, domestic production of solar cells and wafers was almost zero, which officials described as “a stark failure of the previous government’s policy.”

Today, India produces 25 GW of solar cells and 2 GW of wafers and aims to increase this capacity to 100 GW of solar cells and 40 GW of wafers by 2030 to reduce import dependence and become self-reliant.

The country has also achieved 3.2GW in fully integrated solar manufacturing in 2024, with a target of 24GW by 2030.

Biopower generation has grown by 42% in the last 10 years, increasing from 8.1 GW to 11.5 GW.

The compressed biogas (CBG) sector has expanded dramatically from a single project producing 8 tonnes per day (TPD) in 2014 to 150 projects generating 1,211 TPD in 2024.

The PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has benefited approximately 13.3 lakh households, with nearly 12 lakh installations in the past 10 months, officials said.

India added a record 25 GW of renewable energy capacity in 2024, which is 34.63% higher than the 18.57 GW added the previous year.

To reach its ambitious goal of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, India needs to add about 50 GW annually over the next five to six years.

Four major renewable energy implementing agencies — SECI, NTPC, NHPC, and SJVN—have issued tenders totaling around 44 GW for renewable power procurement in the fiscal year 2024-25.

In April, India became the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, surpassing Germany.