THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 9, 2026
India has crossed a major milestone in its clean energy
transition, with installed non-fossil fuel-based electricity generation
capacity reaching 300.50 GW as of July 31, 2026, taking the country past 60 per
cent of its ambitious 500 GW target for 2030, the Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy said on Sunday.
The milestone underscores the accelerating shift in India’s
power sector towards renewable and low-carbon sources, while strengthening the
country’s push for energy security, domestic manufacturing and long-term
industrial competitiveness.
Of the 300.50 GW non-fossil capacity, solar power accounts
for the largest share at 164.59 GW, followed by wind at 58.14 GW, hydropower at
57.24 GW, bio-power at 11.75 GW and nuclear power at 8.78 GW. Non-fossil
sources now constitute more than 54 per cent of India’s total installed
electricity generation capacity, which stands at around 552 GW.
Solar energy has emerged as the primary engine of India’s
clean power expansion. Installed solar capacity has surged to nearly 165 GW
from just 2.8 GW in 2014. Wind power has also expanded sharply, rising to more
than 58 GW from around 21 GW during the same period.
The pace of capacity addition has gathered further momentum
in recent years. During 2025-26, India added a record 55.29 GW of non-fossil
fuel-based electricity generation capacity, with solar contributing 44.6 GW and
wind adding 6 GW.
The expansion in installed capacity is translating into a
substantial increase in renewable electricity generation. Renewable energy
generation rose from 190.96 billion units in 2014-15 to 477.79 billion units in
2025-26, reflecting the growing role of clean sources in India’s power mix.
The government is simultaneously seeking to build a domestic
clean energy manufacturing ecosystem to reduce supply-chain dependence and
capture a larger share of the global green economy. Under the Production Linked
Incentive (PLI) scheme aimed at promoting high-efficiency, domestically
manufactured solar modules, the capacity enlisted under the Approved List of
Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) has crossed 200 GW, compared with just 2.3 GW
in 2014.
The government views the clean energy push as extending well
beyond climate commitments, with the transition increasingly tied to India’s
industrial competitiveness, energy independence and economic resilience.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is also pushing into emerging areas such as green hydrogen and industrial decarbonisation. Through the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India is seeking to establish itself as a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.
With more than 300 GW of non-fossil capacity already in place, India has now crossed the halfway mark towards its 2030 target. The pace of additions, particularly in solar and wind, will be critical as the country seeks to bridge the remaining capacity gap while building a more self-reliant and globally competitive clean energy economy.