A decade ago, sceptics questioned whether India could meaningfully shift away from its coal-dependent energy infrastructure. Today, those doubts have been emphatically answered. India has crossed a historic threshold, reaching 250.64 GW of renewable energy capacity—a figure that positions the nation amongst the world’s fastest-growing clean energy markets. This isn’t merely an incremental achievement; it represents a fundamental transformation in how the world’s most populous country powers itself. With solar installations leading an unprecedented capacity expansion of 29.52 GW in FY 2024–25 alone, India has demonstrated that ambitious climate commitments can translate into tangible infrastructure reality. The country’s renewable energy capacity has tripled since 2014, now accounting for more than half of total installed electricity capacity. Yet this milestone, impressive as it is, marks not a destination but a waypoint on India’s journey towards 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030—a target that will define the nation’s energy security and climate leadership for generations.
Unprecedented Expansion Driven by Solar Dominance
The scale and velocity of India’s renewable energy buildout in FY 2024–25 have exceeded even optimistic projections. The addition of 29.52 GW of new capacity in a single financial year represents the largest annual expansion in the country’s history, with solar energy serving as the undisputed driver of this growth. Solar installations contributed 23.83 GW to the total, propelling India’s cumulative solar capacity beyond 105 GW—a figure that would have seemed fantastical just a decade ago when the entire renewable energy sector stood at barely 76.37 GW.
Wind power, whilst overshadowed by solar’s dominance, delivered its own substantial contribution with 4.15 GW of new capacity, bringing total wind installations to 50 GW. The sector’s growth reflects both technological maturation and policy support, with improved turbine efficiency and better site selection enabling more cost-effective wind generation. Biomass and small hydro projects, often overlooked in discussions dominated by solar and wind, have added over 12 GW and 5.1 GW respectively, providing crucial diversification to India’s renewable energy portfolio. These technologies offer distinct advantages—biomass provides dispatchable power from agricultural waste, whilst small hydro installations deliver reliable generation with minimal environmental disruption compared to large-scale hydroelectric dams.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy emphasises that renewable energy capacity has grown from 76.37 GW in March 2014 to 226.79 GW by June 2025, representing nearly threefold expansion. This growth trajectory illustrates more than statistical progress; it reflects a fundamental reorientation of India’s energy strategy. Renewables now constitute the majority of the country’s installed electricity capacity, marking a psychological and practical shift that would have been unimaginable during the coal-dominated energy planning of previous decades.
Robust Pipeline and Technological Innovation
Beyond existing installations, India’s renewable energy pipeline reveals the sector’s sustained momentum. An impressive 169.40 GW of projects are currently under implementation, with an additional 65.06 GW already tendered and awaiting execution. This pipeline ensures continued capacity growth well beyond current achievements, providing visibility into India’s renewable energy trajectory through the remainder of the decade.
The composition of this pipeline reflects increasing sophistication in renewable energy deployment. Rather than pursuing solar and wind installations in isolation, developers are implementing innovative hybrid systems that combine multiple renewable sources to optimise generation profiles. Round-the-clock power projects aim to address the intermittency challenge that has historically limited renewable energy’s role in baseload power supply. Peaking power solutions target periods of maximum demand, whilst thermal plus renewable energy bundling projects blend conventional and clean generation to provide dispatchable, lower-carbon electricity.
These technological approaches directly address grid stability concerns that have complicated large-scale renewable integration. India’s renewable energy mix now demonstrates impressive diversification, with solar capacity reaching 127.33 GW, wind at 53.12 GW, and meaningful contributions from hydro, biomass, and small hydro installations. This diversity strengthens energy security by reducing dependence on any single generation source whilst positioning India as a global innovator in clean energy deployment strategies.
Navigating the Coal Paradox Towards 2030
Despite remarkable renewable energy progress, India confronts a challenging paradox. Whilst clean energy capacity expands rapidly, the country continues planning approximately 80 GW of new thermal projects to meet surging electricity demand driven by economic growth, urbanisation, and rising living standards. This parallel expansion of coal capacity reflects the uncomfortable reality that renewable energy, despite its growing share, cannot yet fully displace fossil fuels in India’s energy system.
Industry analysts warn that without urgent action to improve affordability and sustainability through grid upgrades and energy storage, coal will remain central to electrification efforts, potentially jeopardising progress towards India’s net-zero goals. The intermittency of solar and wind generation, combined with insufficient energy storage infrastructure, means that coal plants continue providing the dispatchable, reliable power necessary to maintain grid stability during periods when renewable generation falls short.
Reaching India’s ambitious 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity target by 2030 requires more than simply installing solar panels and wind turbines. Success demands substantial investment in grid modernisation to handle bidirectional power flows, large-scale energy storage to smooth renewable generation variability, and policy frameworks that accelerate the retirement of ageing coal plants whilst ensuring energy security. The country’s ability to navigate this transition—expanding renewable capacity whilst managing the phase-down of fossil fuel dependence—will largely determine whether India emerges as a global climate leader or remains trapped in carbon-intensive development patterns. The foundation has been laid with the 250.64 GW milestone, but the most challenging phase of India’s energy transformation lies ahead.