A decade of solar development in India

India has been on a journey towards developing its renewable energy (RE) capacity over the last decade. The power sector of India has a total installed capacity of 402 GW, with an average annual growth rate of nearly 4%. Coal still dominates the total installed capacity in India with about 204 GW (50.7%) of power being produced through thermal power plants. However, renewable energy sources account for 160 GW, about 39.7% of the total energy mix, and the solar power installed capacity in India accounts for about 57 GW (14.1%), while the wind power installed capacity accounts for about 40 GW (10.1%).

India’s economic growth is coupled with an increase in energy demand, with the power demand in India having a typical growth rate of about 6.5%. As per the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) 19th electrical power survey, the electricity demanded by 2030 is expected to grow to 2325 BU, and the peak demand is expected to reach about 339 MW. India’s installed capacity is about 403 GW, and the share of renewable energy capacity is about 28.3%, with a total installed capacity of 114 GW. The country has a peak power deficit of about 4%.

India’s commitment towards net zero targets by 2070 in COP 26 is defining the energy policies in the country to opt for cleaner sources in India’s energy mix. The government of India has taken a target of 500 GW of RE capacity by 2030, and solar and wind account for the largest share in meeting these targets. The targets are taken to achieve 50% energy from non-fossil fuel-based sources.

The development of RE in India started about a decade back with the adoption of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in the year 2008. Subsequently, in 2010, the Government of India launched the National Solar Mission, and the National Wind Energy Mission was launched in 2014. The government has also come up with the National Hydrogen mission in 2021. Under the NAPCC, the government of India decided to add renewables gradually to its energy mix and targeted 21% of renewables by 2022 in its energy mix with 10.5% of solar-based electricity. Initially, the targets were about 20,000 MW solar, however, in 2015 these targets were revised to 175 GW with solar targets of 100 GW and wind targets of 60 GW. In 2012, the Government of India realized the lack of financial capability and off-taker creditworthiness issues with Discoms and came up with SECI.

The SECI was formed to create a market for solar projects by offering a guaranteed off-take to the project developers, and to provide assistance in getting clearances from various government departments. The SECI has played a significant role in the solar sector by creating a market for solar power, and as of 2021, it has tendered about 48 GW of solar projects, of which about 35 GW have been awarded. The wind sector, on the other hand, has relied on state-level feed-in-tariffs and the competitive bidding route to grow.

India’s RE capacity installations have seen a significant growth in the last decade. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reports, the installed RE capacity in India was 39.55 GW in 2014-2015, which increased to 92.54 GW in 2020-2021 (Up to Jan, 2021). The percentage share of RE in total installed capacity has also increased from 14.36% in 2014-2015 to 24.

The journey to 60 GW

India’s journey towards achieving over 60 GW capacity installations in the last decade has been nothing short of remarkable. The country has achieved the fourth rank in the world in solar power deployment, with solar projects of capacity of 61.97 GW commissioned in the country as of November 30, 2022.

To achieve the target of installing 100 GW of grid-connected solar power by 2022, the Government of India launched various schemes to encourage the generation of solar power in the country. These include the Solar Park Scheme, VGF Schemes, CPSU Scheme, Defence Scheme, Canal bank & Canal top Scheme, Bundling Scheme, and the Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme.

Year by year, India’s grid-connected solar power projects saw significant growth. From just 11.35 MW in cumulative capacity up to 2010, it reached 35.93 MW in 2010-11, 932.30 MW in 2011-12, 1684.46 MW in 2012-13, 2631.93 MW in 2013-14, and 3743.97 MW in 2014-15. By 2022-23*, the capacity had increased to 61.97 GW, with the addition of 7969.85 MW in that year alone.

With technological improvements, economies of scale, and reductions in solar cell/module prices, solar tariffs in India are now competitive and have achieved grid parity. India’s solar power sector supports the government’s agenda of sustainable growth, providing energy security for the nation and emerging as an integral part of the solution to meet the country’s energy needs.

In conclusion, India has made significant progress in the last decade towards its goal of generating 100 GW of grid-connected solar power by 2022. With various government schemes and policy measures, the country has emerged as a global leader in solar power deployment, providing a sustainable solution to meet its growing energy demands.

As per the MNRE annual reports, India’s total installed solar capacity as on 30-11-2022 was 61.97 GW, which includes 52 GW from ground-mounted solar projects, 7.82 GW from rooftop solar projects, and 2.09 GW from off-grid solar projects. With these achievements, India has emerged as one of the top solar countries in the world.