India Doubles Solar Power Pace, Hits Record 45 GW Addition in 2025-26

The Prime Minister, in a post on X, remarked on the significant milestone reached in the renewable energy sector, as noted by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, in an article.

Joshi said that India has achieved its highest-ever annual solar capacity addition of around 45 GW in 2025-26, nearly doubling the previous year's pace and reinforcing its position as one of the world's fastest-growing clean energy markets.

The minister said the achievement reflects the country's strong commitment to energy security, sustainable development, and the vision of Viksit Bharat. The momentum was led by large-scale deployments in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, which together powered the country's accelerated transition towards a cleaner electricity system.

A key operational highlight was 6.65 GW of solar installations in March 2026 alone, the highest-ever capacity addition in a single month, demonstrating stronger execution capabilities across utility-scale and distributed solar segments.

The milestone also signals improving ecosystem readiness across domestic manufacturing, grid integration, and policy support. With India having already crossed 150 GW of installed solar capacity, this record annual addition strengthens the country's long term renewable pipeline and supports industrial decarbonization goals.

The continued rise in state-led deployments is expected to boost investments in transmission corridors, battery storage, green hydrogen, and solar equipment manufacturing, creating export opportunities for modules, inverters, and balance-of-system components.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) also handed over a dividend cheque of Rs 115 crore ($124.08 million) to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, reflecting healthy sectoral financial performance and public-sector confidence in renewable infrastructure expansion.

Joshi said India ranks third globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity, according to the Renewable Energy Statistics 2026 after moving ahead of Brazil in the ranking. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA) released the statistics as of December 2025.

The minister also highlighted that in July 2025, India reached its highest-ever renewable energy share in electricity generation. The renewables met 51.5 per cent of the country's total electricity demand of 203 GW. He also said that a total of 283.46 GW of capacity from non-fossil fuel sources has been installed in the country as on March 31, 2026.

- IANS