‘India on track to achieve 2030 clean energy target’

India is confident it will meet the 500 GW target of  installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, Pralhad Joshi, minister of new and renewable energy said at the curtain raiser of the eighth assembly of International Solar Alliance, HT reported. On updating NDCs (Nationally determined contributions), he said India has already achieved one of its NDCs which was to achieve about 50% of the cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030, HT reported. 

“Our goal is to achieve 500 GW by 2030. We are on track. We have 162 GW in the pipeline presently. I am confident that we will achieve that goal,” Joshi said.

Official data puts India’s total power capacity as of June 30 at 484.8 GW, with 242.04 GW (49.92%) from thermal/coal, 8.78 GW (1.81%) from nuclear, and 234 GW (48.27%) from renewable sources.

India adds 4.9GW of rooftop solar under PM scheme, only 13% target met: Study

India added 4.9 GW of residential solar rooftop capacity in the Prime Minister scheme Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana (PMSGY), but only 13.1% target of  1 crore installations have been met, says research by IEEFA, reported CarbonCopy  This was despite a four-fold increase in applications between March 2024 and July 2025, the research said. 

The report also found that only 14.1% of the allocated ₹65,700 crore ($7 billion) in subsidies have been released till July 2025. The report added that at this rate meeting the target of 30GW by 2027 remains a challenge. Access to finance and lack of consumer awareness were barriers to adoption of rooftop solar, the study said. 

Solar module capacity under ALMM grows by 6.9 GW in October 2025

India’s solar module manufacturing capacity under Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) now stands at 116.46 GW as the Centre updated the list adding a capacity of 6922 MW. 

India’s solar module manufacturing capacity under ALMM became 100 GW in August 2025 in over 10 years, up from 2.3 GW in 2014, reported Mercom. 

Centre unveils $77Bn hydropower plan for 77GW by 2047 in Brahmaputra basin in N-E, Arunachal Pradesh to be the hub 

The Centre announced ₹6.7 trillion ($77 billion) plan to supply 77GW of hydro power by 2047 from the ecologically rich and fragile Brahmaputra basin in the northeast, according to a report by Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The master plan includes 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub-basins in the northeast, ET reported.  

CEA said based on their assessment of the “substantial hydroelectric potential” of the Brahmaputra basin, they prepared a master plan to evacuate a 65GW of hydroelectric power across 12 basins and 11GW from pumped-storage projects.

The basin includes parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and West Bengal, accounting for 80% untapped hydro potential of India. Arunachal alone accounts for 52.2GW potential, ET reported. 

Mongabay India reported that “2,200MW hydroelectric power project has been cleared for construction in Arunachal Pradesh, on the condition that project developers integrate simulations of glacial lake outburst flood scenarios into its design. However, the impact assessment for the project does not acknowledge the forest cover of the district or that the river hosts endangered species.” The outlet noted that the region falls in Seismic Zone V. “Indigenous communities raise concerns for several such large dams planned across the state, and their potential impact on biodiversity, cultivation of medicinal plants, and traditional grazing lands.”

Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time

Wind and solar farms worldwide have generated more electricity than coal plants for the first time this year, “marking a turning point for the global power system,” according to research, the Guardian reported.

A report by the climate thinktank Ember found that in the first six months of 2025, renewable energy “outpaced the world’s growing appetite for electricity, leading to a small decline in coal and gas use,” the outlet said. 

The world generated almost a third more solar power in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2024, meeting 83% of the global increase in electricity demand. Wind power grew by just over 7%, allowing renewables to displace fossil fuels for the first time.

The milestone represents “a crucial turning point”, according to Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at Ember and the author of the report.

US plans to cancel one of the world’s largest solar farms  

The US is set to cancel a 6.2 GW solar plant, the largest solar project in North America, reported the Financial Times, “As the Trump administration expands its attack on the embattled renewable energy industry”. The newspaper said: : “Late on Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management scrapped approval for Esmeralda 7, a 6.2 gigawatt project that could have powered nearly 2m homes. It had begun the permitting process under the Biden administration.” The seven solar farms “would have covered about 62,300 acres [25,200 hectares] of federal lands in the Nevada desert north-west of Las Vegas”, the newspaper continued. Industry observers predict that Esmeralda 7 “won’t be the last major project in the pipeline to be pulled”, said Politico. The Guardian said that the interior department “appeared to leave open the possibility that at least parts of the project could be resubmitted for review”. 

US: Groups sue EPA over cancelled $7bn for solar energy

A group of solar energy companies, unions, NGOs and homeowners filed a lawsuit against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its decision to cancel $7 billion in grants, which were “intended to help low- and moderate-income families install solar panels on their homes”, NYT reported. The lawsuit accuses the EPA of “illegally revoking the money under the Solar for All program without congressional approval”. The Associated Press reported the lawsuit calls the Trump administration’s termination of the program illegal and they want a federal judge to direct the EPA to reinstate it. The programme is affiliated with another $20 billion in green funding also terminated under president Donald Trump that EPA administrator Lee Zeldin had characterised as a fraudulent scheme fraught with waste.

About The Author

Editorial Team

A team of handpicked and dedicated writers committed to fact check each climate-related statement. Go to the roots and intent of each policy implemented, internationally and at home to help you understand climate better

See author's posts