India’s clean energy transition is now central to the country’s industrial competitiveness, trade positioning and long-term economic resilience, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the annual summit of Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi, the minister said India’s push towards achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 is laying the foundation for a globally competitive and self-reliant energy ecosystem.
Joshi said the idea of Aatmanirbharta has evolved into a globally recognised model for resilient and sustainable growth. Referring to initiatives such as Vaccine Maitri, India’s digital public infrastructure including UPI, and defence exports like the BrahMos and HAL Tejas, he said self-reliance is about “confidence, capability and global competitiveness” rather than isolation. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently urged citizens to adopt more sustainable and self-reliant ways of living and working, reflecting the direction of future global growth.
The minister said energy policy has increasingly become linked with industrial and trade policy amid changing global regulations, including carbon-linked trade mechanisms. According to him, renewable energy adoption is now essential for Indian industries to remain export competitive and manage future cost pressures.
Highlighting India’s progress in the renewable energy sector, Joshi said non-fossil fuel capacity has risen from 81 GW in 2014 to 288 GW at present, while solar energy capacity has expanded from 2.8 GW to 155 GW. Wind energy capacity has also increased from 21 GW to 56.4 GW. He noted that renewable sources contributed nearly one-third of India’s record peak power demand of 256 GW.
Joshi said India continued to attract strong investments in renewable energy despite a decline in global renewable investments, underscoring growing international confidence in the country’s clean energy roadmap. He credited the progress to strong collaboration between the government and industry.
The minister also outlined a series of policy measures aimed at strengthening the sector, including Renewable Consumption Obligation trajectories, Carbon Credit Certificate Regulations 2026, green ammonia procurement agreements, solar PV module warranty standards and reforms to support domestic manufacturing. He said emerging sectors such as green hydrogen, battery storage, offshore wind and pumped hydro will drive the next phase of India’s energy growth.
Calling for deeper integration of generation, storage and transmission systems, Joshi said continued collaboration between industry and government would be crucial in building a technologically advanced and inclusive energy system. He also invited investors and industry stakeholders to participate in the Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet scheduled later this year.
