India adds highest-ever renewable capacity till July 2024

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 latest data from 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.

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

Going by the capacity addition of 16.4 GW RE capacity in the first seven months of 2024, the experts are hoping that India may add close to 30 GW RE capacity by the end of this year. The country has missed its target of 175 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity by 2022 and it needs to expedite the installation of renewable to stay on track.

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.

Speaking at the inauguration of the International Solar Festival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country’s solar energy capacity has increased 32-fold in the last 10 years and this speed and scale will also help us achieve 500 GW gigawatt non-fossil capacity by 2030.

“In the past few years, India has taken many massive strides in green energy. We were the first G20 Nation to achieve the Paris commitments in renewable energy. The remarkable growth of solar energy is a key reason in making this possible,” he said while addressing the delegates virtually at the event.