India achieves 200 GW milestone of non-fossil fuel power

In a key milestone, India has closed in on 200 GW of non-fossil fuel installed power with solar power driving India’s renewable target of 500 GW by 2030.

The latest data by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that non-fossil renewable installed power stood at 199.58 GW by the end of August. The break includes renewable energy sources – small hydro, bio, solar, and wind at 152.6 GW, still short of the 175-GW target of 2022.

The large hydro projects (over 25 MW) have a capacity of 46.9 GW. Among the renewable sources, solar accounts for 89 GW and wind power for 47 GW. Nuclear power, which doesn’t fall in the renewable category but is considered a clean power source, accounts for 8GW.

This milestone comes as India added a record 16.4 GW of renewable energy in the first seven months (Jan-July) of this year, the highest ever added since 2015, according to the data by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).   

India has a target to achieve 500 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, which means the country needs to add 50 GW annually between now and 2030 to achieve this target of 500 GW

According to the government, a total RE capacity of 89.13 GW is under construction, while a capacity of 67.46 GW is under development as of April 2024 and may translate to an active under-construction stage soon. 

The government has maintained that a massive RE capacity is under tender process and the country could witness a record-breaking addition to power capacity.

The share of renewable energy, including hydro, in the country’s power generation, is projected to rise to 35% by FY30, up from 21% in FY24, according to rating agency ICRA.

The agency further said that achieving the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) target of 43.3% by FY30 will require more than doubling the current renewable energy capacity and this will involve significant investments in energy storage and grid integration solutions, as well as addressing challenges related to land acquisition and transmission infrastructure, the findings showed.