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How India scripted its renewables growth story
Hindustan Times Pune
|February 21, 2026
In 2024, Nirmal Das Swami, a farmer in Rajasthan, began harvesting the power of the sun.
Nirmal installed a one-megawatt solar park on his land, enough to power his entire community. With access to steady, affordable, and clean energy, Nirmal's income grew. Nirmal is part of a larger transformation happening in India. Boosted by the increasing economic viability of renewables, India is outpacing other major developing countries in scaling cost-effective clean energy. Itis set to add more renewables to its grid than the US thisyear. Non-fossil fuel sources now account for 50% of its installed capacity.India’s progress here is a result of three key factors — the government's big bet on universal energy access, a willingness to experiment, and strong public-private-philanthropic partnerships.
This story is from the February 21, 2026 edition of Hindustan Times Pune.
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