Undertaken By: Council on Energy, Environment and Water, Recent Publication: 2021
In 2015, India announced ambitious targets for renewable energy—175 GW by 2022—one of the largest expansion initiatives in the world. Just four years later, at the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, the Prime Minister of India pledged to increase India’s renewable energy (RE) capacity to 450 GW by 2030. India’s journey to reaching these targets is at a critical juncture. However, the story of India’s solar and wind power generation is at a critical juncture. The pace of capacity addition in utility-scale wind and solar power, which saw a rapid increase during 2014–2017, has since slowed down. Over the last ten years, India has demonstrated a functional RE pathway to the world. As it sets out to become a renewable energy powerhouse by 2030, it is essential that we review the journey and draw lessons that can take us there.