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India continues to add 15-25 gigawatt (GW) of new renewable capacity annually, a rate that remains among the fastest in the world, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
The ministry, however, added that global headwinds such as supply-chain disruptions, fluctuating module prices, and tighter financing conditions have slowed commissioning timelines. India's renewable growth story remains one of the fastest and most forward-looking in the world, evolving from speed to system strength, from quantity to quality, and from expansion to enduring integration, the ministry added. The ministry added that India's renewable energy sector is entering a transformative new phase, one defined not merely by the pace of capacity addition, but by the strength, stability, and depth of its systems. After a decade of record expansion, the focus is now shifting toward creating a robust, dispatchable, and resilient clean energy architecture that can support the nation's ambitious goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, the ministry added. In the last decade, India's renewable energy capacity has grown more than fivefold, from under 35 GW in 2014 to over 197 GW (excluding large hydro) today. Such exponential growth inevitably reaches a point where the next leap requires not just more megawatts, but deeper system reforms. The sector has entered that phase, where the focus is shifting from capacity expansion to capacity absorption. We are now dealing with grid integration, energy storage, hybridisation, and market reforms, the real foundations for a 500 Gigawatt-plus non-fossil future. In that sense, the recent moderation in capacity addition is a recalibration, a necessary pause to ensure that future growth is stable, dispatchable, and resilient. Over 40 GW of awarded renewable projects are presently in advanced stages of securing PPAs, PSAs, or transmission connectivity -- a clear reflection of the sector's robust pipeline of committed investment. The reality is that India's renewable market has outpaced the pace of its grid and contractual institutions, a challenge common to all countries undergoing large-scale energy transitions. In this context, enforcement of Renewable Power Purchase Obligation by states/ DISCOMs, upgrading the transmission lines for evacuation of power and use of technology for grid integration remain top priorities before going ahead with large scale bids for RE. In the current year, Central Renewable Energy Implementing agencies (REIAs) have done bids for 5.6 GW, while State agencies have done bids for 3.5 MW. Additionally Commercial and Industrial Consumers are likely to add nearly 6 GW of renewable energy capacity in calendar year 2025. Thus, capacity addition of RE is progressing through multiple pathways and not necessarily through REIA led bids alone, the ministry added. The ministry further added that the transmission has emerged as the new frontier. India's grid is being reimagined through the Rs 2.4 lakh crore Transmission Plan for 500 GW, linking renewable-rich states with demand centres. The Government is prioritizing investment in transmission infrastructure through the Green Energy Corridors and new high-capacity transmission lines from Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Ladakh. While these projects are multi-year efforts, once operational they will unlock over 200 GW of new renewable capacity, the ministry added. (ANI)
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