India has shattered expectations and rewritten global energy rankings, emerging as the world’s fourth-largest renewable energy producer with an installed capacity of 257 gigawatts as of 2025. This remarkable achievement, announced by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, marks a nearly threefold increase from just 81 GW in 2014, reflecting the country’s sustained policy focus, massive investments, and rapid technological advancements across solar, wind, hydro, and other renewable sectors. India’s transition towards sustainable power also sets a powerful example globally in combating climate change whilst simultaneously supporting economic growth and energy security—debunking persistent arguments that developing nations must choose between environmental responsibility and development priorities.
The transformation represents one of the fastest and largest renewable energy buildouts in human history, accomplished by a nation that still faces significant energy poverty and infrastructure challenges whilst managing complex federal governance structures spanning diverse states with competing interests. The milestone validates India’s technology choices, policy frameworks, and implementation capabilities against widespread scepticism that emerging markets cannot afford clean energy transitions or deploy renewables at scale without compromising grid reliability or economic competitiveness.
Solar Power Drives Unprecedented Capacity Expansion
Central to India’s meteoric rise is the explosive growth in solar capacity, which has surged from a modest 2.8 GW in 2014 to an impressive 128 GW by 2025—representing roughly a 45-fold increase in just over a decade. Solar power now accounts for more than half of India’s entire renewable energy portfolio, driven by large-scale solar parks, rooftop installations, and innovative government programmes like PM-KUSUM that empower farmers through solar-powered irrigation and decentralised generation reducing diesel dependency. Alongside capacity growth, India’s domestic manufacturing of solar modules and cells has scaled dramatically to 110 GW and 27 GW respectively, fostering local supply chains and reducing import dependence that previously left India vulnerable to price fluctuations and geopolitical tensions.
This manufacturing leap is supported by production-linked incentives and robust industry partnerships, boosting employment opportunities whilst building technological self-reliance that positions India as a potential export hub for solar equipment rather than merely an importer. Wind energy is also a significant contributor, with over 46 GW installed capacity predominantly located in states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra that possess favourable wind resources and established project development ecosystems. The emergence of hybrid renewable projects strategically combining solar and wind aims to maximise resource utilisation and provide more consistent clean power throughout day-night cycles, accelerating grid integration and reducing curtailment losses that occur when generation exceeds instantaneous demand.
Policy Excellence and International Recognition
India’s renewable success owes enormous debt to proactive policy frameworks characterised by transparent competitive bidding processes, regulatory clarity, and ambitious national targets that provide long-term visibility for investors and developers. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s leadership, India achieved its Nationally Determined Contribution target of sourcing 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil fuels five years ahead of the 2030 deadline—becoming the first among G20 nations to hit this milestone and silencing critics who dismissed the target as unrealistic political posturing. Minister Joshi emphasised India’s competitive advantage with renewable tariffs—covering solar, solar-plus-storage, and even green ammonia—ranking among the lowest globally, demonstrating India’s ability to scale clean energy affordably and at remarkable speed without requiring perpetual subsidies.
International organisations including the International Energy Agency project India to become the world’s second-largest renewable market soon, potentially surpassing the United States, whilst the International Renewable Energy Agency recognises India as an energy transition powerhouse whose experiences offer valuable lessons for other developing nations. India’s contributions extend beyond borders through global partnerships like the International Solar Alliance, a multilateral initiative headquartered in India promoting solar deployment worldwide. India recently committed $25 million to the Africa Solar Facility, supporting mini-grid and distributed renewable installations across sub-Saharan Africa, reinforcing its vision of equitable clean energy access worldwide rather than viewing climate action as zero-sum competition between nations.
Economic Transformation Accompanies Environmental Progress
The renewable energy expansion yields significant environmental benefits by materially curbing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions, aligning with India’s ambitious net-zero target by 2070 that requires sustained decarbonisation across all economic sectors. It also spurs substantial economic development through green job creation spanning manufacturing facilities, project execution, ongoing operations, and maintenance activities that provide sustainable livelihoods across urban and rural India, supporting inclusive growth that extends beyond metropolitan centres. Renewable sector employment offers opportunities for workers ranging from highly skilled engineers to semi-skilled installation technicians, creating career pathways for diverse educational backgrounds and geographic locations.
Technological innovation complements capacity addition, with increasing investments flowing into energy storage solutions, smart grid technologies, and clean hydrogen production promising to enhance grid reliability and deepen decarbonisation beyond the electricity sector into hard-to-abate industries. The government’s ongoing focus on strengthening transmission infrastructure and providing regulatory support facilitates an integrated, flexible, and resilient energy system capable of meeting India’s rapidly growing energy needs sustainably as the economy expands and millions gain electricity access for the first time. Manufacturing capacity reaching 110 GW for solar modules creates a foundation for export-oriented growth whilst reducing trade deficits previously caused by importing renewable equipment from China and other established producers.
India’s achievement as the world’s fourth-largest renewable energy producer with 257 GW capacity represents far more than impressive statistics—it demonstrates that developing nations can pursue aggressive clean energy transitions whilst maintaining economic growth, energy access expansion, and industrial development. The nearly threefold increase from 81 GW in 2014 validates sustained policy focus, investment mobilisation, and technological adoption at an unprecedented scale and speed that defied widespread scepticism about emerging market capabilities. Solar capacity surging from 2.8 GW to 128 GW alongside domestic manufacturing reaching 110 GW for modules creates a self-reinforcing ecosystem where deployment drives manufacturing whilst manufacturing enables affordable deployment that sustains momentum.
Achieving the 50% non-fossil fuel target five years early as the first G20 nation provides compelling evidence that ambitious climate commitments need not remain aspirational rhetoric but can translate into measurable outcomes when backed by clear policy, competitive markets, and sustained political commitment. India’s success challenges developed nations to accelerate their own transitions whilst providing an actionable roadmap for other emerging economies, demonstrating that climate action and development can progress together rather than representing incompatible priorities requiring impossible trade-offs. The combination of capacity growth, manufacturing development, job creation, and international leadership through initiatives like the International Solar Alliance positions India as a genuine clean energy superpower whose influence extends beyond national borders into shaping global energy transition trajectories for decades to come.