India’s installed renewable energy capacity, including large hydro projects, stood at 155.26 GW, accounting for a 39% share of the overall power mix at the end of the first quarter (Q1) of 2022, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), and Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker.

The share of renewable energy increased marginally from the previous quarter when total renewable installations stood at 151.3 GW.

Solar leads among renewables and accounts for 13.22% of India’s total installed power capacity and 34% of the total installed renewable capacity in Q1 2022. India had installed a record 10 GW of new solar capacity in 2021, a big jump of 210% year-over-year (YoY) compared to 3.2 GW installed in 2020. In Q4 2021, India added 2.6 GW of solar, a decline of 7% compared to 2.8 GW installed in Q3 2021. The installations increased by 74% YoY compared to 1.5 GW in Q4 2020.

With a total capacity of around 46.72 GW, large hydro accounted for 11.73% of the total installed power capacity in the first quarter of 2022. India had approximately 40.36 GW of wind installations, representing around 10.14% of the total installed power capacity in Q1 2022. Meanwhile, biomass and small hydro accounted for 2.56% and 1.22% of the cumulative installed power capacity.

Energy from conventional sources

The installed capacity of conventional power sources was nearly 242.89 GW at the end of Q1 2022. It accounted for 61% of the total installed power capacity – a slight decrease from 61.53% in Q4 2021.

The segment included electricity generated from thermal-based sources, including coal at 51.26%, gas at 6.25%, nuclear at 1.7%, lignite at 1.66%, and diesel at 0.13% of the cumulative installed power capacity.

Coal continues to lead the way with over 204 GW of installed capacity at the end of Q1 2022, a marginal increase from 203 GW in Q4 2021. However, its overall market share declined slightly to 51.26%, compared to 51.66% in the previous quarter.

International Energy Agency had reported that solar energy will witness exponential growth and match coal’s share in the Indian power generation mix by 2040 or earlier. The share of coal is expected to decline from 44% in 2019 to 34% in 2040.