India is experiencing a remarkable boom in clean energy production, with its renewable power generation increasing by a robust 24.4% year-over-year in the first half of 2025. Output reached 134.43 billion kilowatt hours, marking the sharpest increase in over three years. This surge underscores the country’s growing commitment to sustainable energy solutions and its shift away from traditional fossil fuels.
According to data sourced from the federal grid and analyzed by Reuters, non-hydropower renewables—mainly solar and wind—rose to a record 17% share of India’s electricity mix in June 2025. This uptick was supported by favorable weather conditions, such as cooler summer temperatures and the early onset of monsoons, which in turn reduced demand for coal-powered electricity. As a result, coal generation dipped by 3%, while domestic coal inventories grew, lowering the need for imports.
In terms of capacity expansion, India is on course to install 32 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy infrastructure in 2025, an increase from 28 GW in the previous year, according to the Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency (ICRA), a subsidiary of Moody’s. Between January and May alone, the country commissioned 16.3 GW worth of solar and wind projects, illustrating a strong pace of development in the clean energy sector.
This growth comes after India fell short of its 2022 target of installing 175 GW of renewable capacity. Now, the national focus is centered on a more ambitious goal: achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, a figure that includes contributions from hydroelectric and nuclear sources. However, energy experts at S&P Global Commodity Insights caution that this target may realistically be met by 2032 instead.
The delay doesn’t necessarily signal failure. Instead, it highlights the need for improved infrastructure—especially grid modernization and advanced energy storage systems—to handle and distribute the increasing volumes of variable renewable power effectively.
India’s rapid clean energy expansion signals both a turning point in its climate journey and a growing leadership role in the global energy transition. If current trends continue, the country is well on its way to reshaping its power landscape, one solar panel and wind turbine at a time.
