Context
In August 2025, India crossed the 250 GW mark of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, a key halfway milestone toward its 2030 target of 500 GW. This achievement underscores India’s commitment under the Paris Agreement (2015) and its roadmap to net-zero by 2070.
Key Highlights
- Current Installed Capacity
- Total capacity (Aug 2025): 521.405 GW.
- Non-fossil capacity: 250 GW (≈ 50.7% of total capacity).
- Renewables (excluding large hydro & nuclear): 192 GW.
- Balance capacity from large hydro + nuclear projects.
- Sectoral Growth
- Solar Power: Main driver; 17,483 MW added in FY26 so far.
- Wind Energy: Added 2,643 MW in same period.
- Other sources: Biomass, small hydro, hybrid projects.
- Solar + Wind together = 123 GW capacity.
- Hybrid Projects
- Hybrid (solar + wind) projects expanding rapidly.
- ~30 GW under construction (as of June 2025).
- Crucial for managing intermittency of renewables.
- Challenges
- Transmission bottlenecks: Only 8,830 circuit km of new lines in FY25 (vs. 15,500 ckm target).
- Land acquisition & clearances: Regulatory/environmental delays.
- Financial stress: Weakened discoms, burdensome Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
- Close to 25% of projects risk missing 2030 deadline.
Significance
- Energy Transition: Strong progress toward 500 GW non-fossil by 2030, consistent with COP26 pledges.
- Climate Action: Advances net-zero by 2070 goals.
- Energy Security: Cuts dependence on imported coal & crude oil.
- Global Standing: Enhances India’s credibility as a leader in climate action and renewable energy deployment.
UPSC Prelims Pointers
- India’s 2030 Target: 500 GW non-fossil capacity (COP26 commitment, Glasgow 2021).
- Current Share (2025): ~50.7% of installed capacity is non-fossil.
- Largest Contributor: Solar power.
- Other Key Sources: Wind, biomass, small hydro, nuclear, large hydro.
- Hybrid Projects: Aim to address intermittency challenge.
- Net-Zero Goal: 2070 (announced at COP26).