PURI : India has recorded its highest-ever non-fossil capacity addition of 31.25 Gigawatts (GW), including 24.28 GW of solar energy in the current fiscal, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi said on Saturday.
Addressing the inaugural session of the three-day Global Energy Leaders Summit 2025 in Puri, Joshi also announced 1.5 lakh rooftop solar units for Odisha, which would benefit over seven lakh people in the State, particularly from economically weaker sections. The units would be provided under the New Utility-Led Aggregation Model of the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, which is consumer-owned.
“In the last 11 years, the country’s solar capacity has grown from 2.8 GW to around 130 GW, a rise of more than 4,500%. Between 2022 and 2024 alone, India contributed 46 GW to global solar additions, becoming the third-largest contributor,” Joshi said.
He added that this surge has made India a key driver of global renewable expansion. “After taking nearly 70 years to reach 1 Terawatt (TW) of renewable energy capacity in 2022, the world achieved 2 TW by 2024, adding the second terawatt in just two years,” he said.
India holds the world’s fifth-largest coal reserves and is the second-largest consumer of coal. “Even with this abundance, India is steadily balancing coal with renewable energy as the transition gathers pace. With global mechanisms now shaping industrial competitiveness, India’s shift towards renewable energy has become even more urgent and strategically important,” he added.
With over 3.1 GW of installed renewable capacity, clean energy now accounts for more than 34% of Odisha’s total installed power capacity. “Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, 1.6 lakh households have applied for rooftop solar installations. A total of 23,000 installations have been completed, and more than 19,200 families have received subsidies exceeding `147 crore directly into their bank accounts,” he informed.
Joshi said that the overall ecosystem created by PM Modi —ease of doing business, investor confidence, infrastructure, demand-driven schemes and strong Centre–State cooperation—has driven India’s renewable energy expansion.
An official release said the summit in Puri marked the first step in building a vibrant Community of Practice that brings together policymakers, innovators and industry leaders to accelerate India’s clean energy transition. The summit aims to shape the future of energy in the country.