India adds record 44 GW solar power, capacity hits 150 GW: Centre

Mumbai: India has added a record more than 44 Gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity during the last one year, taking the country’s total installed solar capacity beyond 150 GW, the Union Government has informed environment watchdog NatConnect Foundation.

Responding to NatConnect Foundation’s Earth Day representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said the Government has launched several major programmes to promote solar energy, including PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, the Solar Park Scheme and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for solar manufacturing.

“The country’s solar power capacity has reached more than 150 Gigawatts, out of which more than 44 GW has been installed during the last one year,” the Ministry said in an official communication signed by Pradeep Kumar, Under Secretary, Policy and Regulatory Matters.

The Ministry said the expansion was driven by policy initiatives under the National Solar Mission and related renewable energy programmes.

Welcoming the response, NatConnect Foundation Director B N Kumar said India’s latest solar expansion was significant by global standards.

“Adding 44 GW of solar capacity in a single year is a major achievement,” Kumar said. “While China remains far ahead with annual additions exceeding 250 GW, the European Union added around 65 GW in 2024 and the United States around 30 to 40 GW. India is now among the world’s leading solar growth markets.”

He said the scale of growth becomes more striking when compared with the pre-2014 period.

“Before the Modi Government came to power, India’s total installed solar capacity itself was barely around 2.5 GW, while annual additions were often below 1 GW to 2 GW. The jump to 44 GW annual additions shows the scale of transformation that has taken place,” Kumar said.

In its Earth Day appeal, NatConnect Foundation urged the Prime Minister to launch a nationwide “Mass Solar Mission” on the lines of the Swachh Bharat campaign to make clean energy a people’s movement.

The Foundation proposed a broad-based programme covering rooftop solar systems, solar parks, solar streetlights, solar parking canopies, EV charging infrastructure, battery swapping systems, solar pump sets for farmers and support for MSMEs engaged in renewable energy manufacturing and services.

Kumar said rapid solar expansion was not only an environmental imperative but also an economic and strategic necessity.

“India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements and remains vulnerable to global conflicts, shipping disruptions and price shocks,” he said adding: “Expanding solar energy as a mass movement is essential for reducing this dependence and strengthening the country’s energy security.”