Behind India's remarkable showing on renewables

Today, India stands as one of the world's foremost clean energy leaders, ranked third in solar energy, fourth in wind power, and fourth in total renewable energy capacity.

- Pralhad Joshi

With over 232 GW of renewable capacity installed and another 176 GW under construction, we are not just meeting our energy needs but actively shaping the global discourse on energy transition. This progress is the outcome of bold reforms, timely decisions, and a clear long-term vision pursued consistently under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi over the past 11 years. He had a clear vision to build a robust renewable energy ecosystem, and even as the Gujarat chief minister, he had pioneered large-scale solar projects long before clean energy became a global priority.

In the past year alone, India has added a record 29 GW of renewable energy to the national grid. Solar capacity has grown from just 2.63 GW in 2014 to over 108 GW in 2025, a staggering 41-fold increase. Wind capacity has also surpassed 51 GW. These projects, spread across the length and breadth of the country, are now being stitched together through a unified transmission system, realising the vision of One Nation One Grid.

But to appreciate the scale of this transformation, we must remember where we began. In 2014, India's power sector was in deep crisis. Electricity shortages were chronic. The double grid failure in 2012, first impacting the Northern Region with 36,000 MW of load loss and subsequently causing the collapse of the Northern, Eastern, and North-Eastern grids affecting 48,000 MW is still fresh in our memory. Transmission infrastructure was overburdened, and investor confidence was low. Renewable energy was considered expensive and unreliable. The global community did not view India as a serious clean energy player. And within the country, public expectations were modest at best.