Mumbai, July 28 -- India has achieved its target of 50 per cent installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources five years ahead of the 2030 deadline, the Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He said that as of June 30, 2026 the country had installed 297.36 gigawatt (GW) of non-fossil fuel based electricity capacity and 288.58 GW of renewable energy capacity. The minister was replying to a question from Cuddalore Member of Parliament M. Vishnu Prasad and provided a breakdown of capacity by source. The statement reflects government data on the expanding share of clean energy in the generation mix.
Solar power accounted for the largest share at 162.15 GW, followed by wind power at 57.44 GW, large hydro power at 52.06 GW, bio power at 11.75 GW and small hydro power at 5.18 GW, the minister said. The figures underline the dominant role of solar in recent capacity additions and the sustained contribution of large hydro and wind. Officials cited the expansion of utility scale projects and distributed generation as drivers of the growth. Policy incentives and declining technology costs were noted as continuing enablers of deployment.
The minister noted that meeting the 50 per cent threshold early reflects investments in grid infrastructure and efforts to integrate intermittent sources. Steps to strengthen transmission, upgrade balancing mechanisms and expand energy storage capacity were cited as necessary to maintain reliability. Sector regulators are coordinating to manage seasonal and regional variability.
Government projections will track additions and refine policy to ensure targets translate into firm generation and emissions reductions. Continued support for rooftop solar, manufacturing capacity and finance mechanisms was highlighted as central to the transition. Stakeholders were urged to maintain momentum as the country advances towards its 2030 goals.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.