New Delhi: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday said that India has ranked third globally in renewable energy installed capacity, surpassing Brazil.
According to the latest data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), domestic installed renewable energy capacity stood at 250.52 GW as of December 2025, placing the country behind China and the US, while moving ahead of Brazil and Germany in the global rankings.
The minister told the media that the country added a record 55.3 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity during 2025-26, which is the highest-ever annual increase, compared to 29.5 GW added in 2024-25.
Moreover, he highlighted that India’s total non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity reached 283.46 GW as of March 31, 2026, including 274.68 GW from renewable sources and 8.78 GW from nuclear energy.
Joshi also highlighted that renewable energy met a record 51.5 per cent of India’s electricity demand in July 2025, the highest-ever share, reflecting the growing contribution of clean energy to the country’s power mix.
India’s total power generation stood at 1,845.9 billion units (BU) in 2025-26, of which 538.97 BU or 29.2 per cent, came from non-fossil fuel sources.
The country achieved the milestone of 50 per cent cumulative installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources in June 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 target under the Paris Agreement, the minister said.
In addition, solar energy has seen the sharpest growth, with installed capacity increasing more than 50-fold from 2.82 GW in 2014 to 150.26 GW in March 2026, while wind energy capacity rose to 56.09 GW from 21.04 GW during the same period.
During 2025-26, solar capacity addition touched a record 44.61 GW, driven by both utility-scale and distributed installations, including rooftop solar and PM KUSUM projects. Wind energy also recorded its highest-ever annual addition of 6.05 GW.
The minister said India is working towards achieving 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, in line with the Prime Minister’s announcement at COP26.
(IANS)
