Clean energy surge: India adds record 31.25 GW non-fossil capacity this year, says Pralhad Joshi
Speaking at the Global Energy Leaders’ Summit 2025 in Puri, Odisha, Joshi said India has emerged as a key driver of the global surge in renewable energy, noting that while it took the world nearly 70 years to reach 1 terawatt (TW) of renewable capacity by 2022, the second TW was added in just two years, by 2024, ANI reported.
He said India’s contribution has been significant, with the country adding 46 GW of solar capacity between 2022 and 2024 to become the world’s third-largest contributor to global solar installations. The minister’s remarks were reported by ANI.Joshi said India’s solar capacity has expanded from just 2.8 GW a decade ago to around 130 GW now, a growth of more than 4,500 per cent over the last 11 years.
He noted that while India holds the world’s fifth-largest coal reserves and remains the second-largest coal consumer, it is increasingly balancing fossil fuels with renewable energy as the transition gathers pace, making clean energy strategically critical amid evolving global trade and industrial competitiveness pressures.Announcing new clean energy initiatives for Odisha, the minister said the Centre has approved a consumer-owned Utility-Led Aggregation (ULA) model under the PM Surya Ghar scheme to install 1.5 lakh rooftop solar systems of 1 kW each in the State.
The programme is expected to benefit nearly 7–8 lakh people, particularly from economically weaker households.
He added that Odisha already has over 3.1 GW of installed renewable capacity, with clean energy accounting for more than 34% of the State’s total installed power capacity.Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, around 1.6 lakh households in Odisha have applied for rooftop solar installations, with over 23,000 installations completed so far.
More than 19,200 families have received subsidies exceeding Rs 147 crore directly into their bank accounts, Joshi said.
He attributed India’s renewable energy expansion to an enabling ecosystem created through policy reforms, ease of doing business, investor confidence, demand-driven schemes and strong Centre–State cooperation, expressing confidence that Odisha would play a leading role in the next phase of green growth.
