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India's installed solar power capacity has increased 57-fold since 2014 to reach 162.15 GW as on June 30, 2026, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said the country's installed solar capacity has grown from 2.82 GW in 2013-14 to 162.15 GW as on June 30, 2026, reflecting significant expansion under the National Solar Mission. He stated, "India has achieved a tremendous growth in the solar capacity installation in the country since 2014. The total installed solar capacity now stands at 162.15 GW as on 30-06-2026, which is about 57-fold expansion, when compared to 2.82 GW installed as on 2013-14". The government also said that India is now the third-largest country in the world in terms of installed solar capacity, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency's Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics 2026 report. Providing details of the country's solar infrastructure, the minister said the Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects scheme has been designed to provide developers with essential infrastructure, including land, power evacuation facilities, roads, water facilities and other supporting infrastructure. According to the reply, 56 Solar Parks with a total capacity of 39,461 MW have been sanctioned across 14 States. Out of these, solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 18,919 MW have already been commissioned. The government also highlighted progress under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for High Efficiency Solar PV Modules. It said letters of award have been issued for setting up around 48.3 GW of fully or partially integrated solar PV module manufacturing units covering polysilicon, ingot-wafer, cell and module manufacturing. As on 31.06.2026, around 42 GW of solar PV module manufacturing capacity, 11.5 GW of solar PV cell manufacturing capacity and around 2 GW of ingot-wafer manufacturing capacity have been set up. This includes around 3.4 GW of fully integrated thin-film solar PV module manufacturing capacity. The government said investments of around Rs. 73,400 crore have been made under the PLI scheme as on 30.06.2026. It also said imports of solar modules have declined from around USD 4,354 million in FY 2023-24 to around USD 994 million in FY 2025-26, citing data from the Department of Commerce. On rooftop solar, the government said the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in February 2024, aims to install rooftop solar systems in one crore households. As on 18.07.2026, 47.26 lakh households have benefited under the scheme. The government said rooftop solar helps reduce distribution losses and lowers peak power demand as electricity is generated close to the point of consumption. The reply further stated that the country's total installed solar capacity of 162.15 GW includes 125.60 GW of utility-scale projects, 30.11 GW of rooftop projects and 6.43 GW of off-grid projects, reflecting balanced growth in both large-scale renewable energy generation and grassroots energy access. (ANI)
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