Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has said India is well on track to install 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity by 2030.

Replying to a debate on the functioning of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the Rajya Sabha, Joshi said the installed renewable energy capacity had now touched 203 GW from 76.4 GW in 2014. The installed solar capacity had gone up to 85.47 and that of wind to 46.65 GW as of June 2024.

Solar projects with a capacity of 104 GW are under implementation, while 74.34 GW of projects have been tendered. Wind projects with a capacity of 46.6 GW are under implementation, while 1.7 GW of projects have been tendered.

Responding to members’ queries on domestic solar manufacturing capacity, the minister said India now had 60 GW of solar module capacity and is likely to grow to 100 GW in three years. The existing domestic solar cell manufacturing capacity is 6 GW and go up to 18 GW in the next few months. Solar cell manufacturing has a target of 25-30 GW by March 2025.

To support domestic manufacturing and make it globally competitive, Basic Customs Duty on renewable energy equipment has been raised from 5% to 12%, according to the recommendation of the GST Council.

There were 93 Indian module manufacturers included in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, nine manufacturers of solar cells, and ten manufacturers of encapsulants.

Joshi, recently appointed the minister for renewable energy in the National Democratic Alliance government’s third term, said that the budget for renewable energy alone this year stood at ₹210 billion (~$2.5 billion). Over the past decade, the government has spent ₹369.52 billion (~$4.4 billion) on various programs.

These include PM Surya Ghar, PM KUSUM, the National Hydrogen Mission, Viability Gap Funding for offshore wind projects, and the Production Linked Incentive for high-efficiency solar modules, all of which have collectively cost ₹1.6 trillion (~$19.06 billion).

Joshi said that the installed renewable energy capacity has increased by 165% in the last decade, placing India in the fourth position globally.

The minister acknowledged that land acquisition issues are a challenge with every project but assured that the ministry is coordinating with state governments to resolve these issues.

At the recent Mercom India Renewables Summit, Joshi presented the fourth annual Mercom India Awards to the winners in different categories.