Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has said that India’s wind energy capacity witnessed a rise of more than 10.5 per cent to 51.5 gigawatts against 46.42 gigawatts last year. In a social media post, he said that with rising capacity, the country is moving towards self dependence, powered by innovation, green technology and sustainable progress.

On the occasion of Global Wind Day, Mr Joshi said, India’s renewable energy sector has witnessed unprecedented growth. From solar to wind energy, the nation is paving the way for a brighter and more sustainable future. He informed that the total renewable energy capacity grew 17.13 per cent year-on-year to 226.74 gigawatts in May from 193.58 GW in the same month last year. Of the total, solar power capacity expanded 31.49 per cent to 110.83 gigawatts from 84.28 gigawatts in May 2024. India’s solar energy capacity has taken a massive leap in the last 11 years, from a mere 2.82 GW in 2014.

The Minister said, solar energy has emerged as the new driving force of India’s renewable energy thrust. The expansion in the installation of solar power generation capacity has been backed by a robust domestic production of solar cells and wafers. India has now built a strong foundation with 25GW of solar cell production and 2GW of wafer production.

India has fixed a target of 500 gigawatts for renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of the country’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint in the fight against climate change.