India has achieved a significant milestone in its renewable energy journey, registering a record-breaking addition of 25 GW of renewable energy capacity during the financial year 2024-25. This marks a robust 35% growth over the previous year’s addition of 18.57 GW, reinforcing the country’s position as a global leader in the green energy transition.
Solar Power Leads the Charge
The solar sector emerged as the driving force behind this surge, contributing nearly 21 GW in new capacity—up from 15 GW in FY24. With this push, India has crossed the 100 GW mark in total installed solar capacity. This achievement aligns with the government’s efforts to promote clean and sustainable energy.
Boost in Domestic Solar Manufacturing
India’s efforts towards self-reliance received a substantial boost with the rapid expansion of solar manufacturing. The nation’s solar module production capacity jumped from 38 GW to 74 GW within a year. Similarly, solar PV cell manufacturing capacity rose from 9 GW to 25 GW. Significantly, the country’s first ingot-wafer manufacturing plant (2 GW capacity) began operations during the year.
The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules played a critical role, attracting investments worth ₹41,000 crore and creating approximately 11,650 jobs.
Rooftop Solar Scheme Gains Traction
The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana made strong inroads, benefiting over 11.01 lakh households by the end of March 2025. The government disbursed ₹5,437.20 crore as Central Financial Assistance to 6.98 lakh beneficiaries, significantly promoting rooftop solar adoption.
Green Hydrogen and PM-KUSUM Progress
India’s green hydrogen sector made notable strides with ₹2,220 crore sanctioned for 1,500 MW of electrolyser capacity and ₹2,239 crore allocated for producing 4.5 lakh TPA of green hydrogen. Pilot projects in steel and transport sectors also received funding.
The PM-KUSUM scheme experienced record growth. Under Component B, 4.4 lakh pumps were installed—a 4.2-fold rise—while Component C saw 2.6 lakh pumps solarized, a 25-fold increase. Total installations now surpass 10 lakh. Expenditure under the scheme rose by 268% to ₹2,680 crore.
IREDA’s Financial Push
The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) continued to back clean energy with ₹47,453 crore in loan sanctions (up 27%) and ₹30,168 crore in disbursements (up 20%).
Union Minister Shri Prahlad Joshi noted that India is poised to become the world’s third-largest renewable energy capacity holder, highlighting the government’s unwavering commitment to a sustainable and self-reliant energy future.
