Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Saturday said that India has achieved its highest-ever annual non-fossil energy capacity addition, reaching 31.25 GW so far in FY 2025–26. Of this, 24.28 GW came from solar power alone. The minister was speaking at the Global Energy Leaders’ Summit (GELS) 2025 in Puri, Odisha.
Joshi said India is now a major driver of global renewable growth, contributing significantly to the world’s rapid clean energy expansion. While the world took around 70 years to build its first terawatt of renewable capacity, it reached the second terawatt in just two years, driven largely by countries like India. India’s solar capacity has grown from 2.8 GW to nearly 130 GW in the last 11 years, and between 2022 and 2024 the country added 46 GW of solar power, becoming the third-largest contributor to global solar additions.
He noted that although India possesses the world’s fifth-largest coal reserves and remains the second-largest consumer of coal, the country is balancing its fossil fuel needs with a strong push toward renewable energy. He said this transition has become strategically important as global climate-linked mechanisms increasingly influence industrial competitiveness.
During the event, the minister announced a major new initiative for Odisha—approval of a utility-led aggregation model to install 1.5 lakh consumer-owned rooftop solar units of 1 kW each. The move is expected to benefit 7–8 lakh residents, particularly from economically weaker sections.
Joshi said Odisha has already made significant progress in clean energy adoption. The state has over 3.1 GW of installed renewable capacity, accounting for more than 34 percent of its total power capacity. Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, 1.6 lakh households in the state have applied for rooftop solar systems, more than 23,000 installations have been completed, and over 19,200 families have received subsidies amounting to more than ₹147 crore directly in their bank accounts.
The minister credited India’s renewable energy growth to improvements in ease of doing business, strong investor confidence, expanding infrastructure, demand-driven government schemes and close coordination between the Centre and States. He said Odisha is poised for major clean energy gains in the coming years and praised the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo.
The Global Energy Leaders’ Summit 2025, being held in Puri from December 5 to 7, brings together global energy leaders, policymakers and innovators. The event aims to build a collaborative platform focused on accelerating India’s clean energy transition.
