India’s renewable energy sector is entering a transformative new phase, one defined not merely by the pace of capacity addition but by the strength, stability, and depth of its systems. After a decade of record expansion, the focus is now shifting toward creating a robust, dispatchable, and resilient clean energy architecture that can support the nation’s ambitious goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) underscored that India’s renewable growth story remains one of the fastest and most forward-looking in the world, evolving from speed to system strength, from quantity to quality, and from expansion to enduring integration.

A Shift from Quantity to Quality

In the last decade, India’s renewable energy capacity has grown more than fivefold, from under 35 GW in 2014 to over 197 GW (excluding large hydro) today. Such exponential growth inevitably reaches a point where the next leap requires not just more megawatts, but deeper system reforms.

The sector has entered that phase, where the focus is shifting from capacity expansion to capacity absorption. We are now dealing with grid integration, energy storage, hybridisation, and market reforms, the real foundations for a 500 GW plus non-fossil future. In that sense, the recent moderation in capacity addition is a recalibration, a necessary pause to ensure that future growth is stable, dispatchable, and resilient.

India’s RE Growth Remains Among the Fastest in the World, Driven by Multi-Pathway Expansion

Over 40 GW of awarded renewable projects are presently in advanced stages of securing PPAs, PSAs, or transmission connectivity — a clear reflection of the sector’s robust pipeline of committed investment. The reality is that India’s renewable market has outpaced the pace of its grid and contractual institutions, a challenge common to all countries undergoing large-scale energy transitions.

In this context, enforcement of Renewable Power Purchase Obligation by states/ DISCOMs, upgrading the transmission lines for evacuation of power and use of technology for grid integration remain top priorities before going ahead with large scale bids for RE.

In the current year, Central Renewable Energy Implementing agencies (REIAs) have done bids for 5.6 GW, while State agencies have done bids for 3.5 GW. Additionally Commercial and Industrial Consumers are likely to add nearly 6 GW of renewable energy capacity in calendar year 2025.........

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