Last year, the Indian renewables sector made numerous strides forward, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi committing to a new goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The country’s green power capacity continues to grow, and the country’s two wealthiest businessmen announced plans to invest thousands of crores in the field.

India aims to create a solar power capacity of 280 GW by 2030. Currently, the country has set up solar plants that produce 85 GW of electricity. In the first six months of 2024, the nation has added 15 GW of new solar capacity.

In 2023, India surpassed Japan to become the world’s third-largest producer of solar power. According to Ember, a global energy think tank, India generated 113 billion units (BU) of solar power in 2023, compared to Japan’s 110 BU.

The 2023-24 Union Budget had allocated Rs 7,327 crore to the solar power sector, a 48% increase from the previous Rs 4,979 crore. Moreover, The Finance Minister announced an INR 6,250 crore allocation for the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the residential rooftop solar scheme, for 2024-25.

(Also Read: The Top 5 Solar Countries in the World)

Rajasthan boasts an impressive 23 GW of solar capacity, accounting for 51% of its total installed power capacity. This State plans to install 30,000 MW of solar energy capacity by 2025.

With a capacity of 2,245 MW of installed solar energy, the 14,000-acre Bhadla Solar Park in Jodhpur is now the world’s largest fully operational solar park. Rajasthan is also home to India’s only solar thermal power plant with a tower.

(Also Read: The 5 Largest Solar Power Plants in the World)

Plans for a 25,000 MW ultra-mega renewable energy facility have been disclosed by the national government. During the first phase of the project, 10,000 MW of solar generating capacity will be installed throughout the state over the following three years.

In the past months, the state has witnessed investments in major solar power projects.

In October 2022, Coal India and ONGC announced plans to develop over 1GW capacity solar projects. In January 2024, the Indian president laid the foundation for another 1 GW solar project in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Moreover, the central government has approved 9 solar park projects with a cumulative capacity of 7+ GW in the state.

Further, in September 2023, the state government unveiled the draft of Rajasthan Energy Policy 2050 with a target of developing 90 GW of combined wind and solar capacity by 2030.

In a significant move, the state unveiled four new solar projects in June 2024, set to add an additional 3,000 MW to its energy portfolio.

Solar energy accounts for around 10,133 MW of Gujarat’s total renewable energy production of 19,414.8 MW. The state has set a target of raising its renewable energy capacity to 68,000 MW by 2030.

In the solar sector, Gujarat recently overtook Karnataka to become second largest solar producing state in the country. It occupies a 13% share of India’s total solar capacity. Moreover, the state’s rooftop solar capacity of 3,818 MW underscores its leadership in the sector. The Charanka Solar Park in the Patan district, which now produces 600 MW, has Gujarat’s single-largest solar power-producing capacity.

Gujarat has recently identified 1,00,000 hectares of wasteland in the Kutch district to build the world’s largest renewable energy park with a 30,000 MW capacity. This project would be a mix of solar and wind power.

In September 2023, the Gujarat government announced Renewable Energy Policy 2023 with a target of achieving 100 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The policy focuses on building ground mounted and canal based solar projects apart from harnessing abundant rooftop solar potential.

Karnataka, in India’s southwest, is the state is the third largest producer of solar energy in India. Karnataka has a total installed solar power capacity of around 9050 MW .– not including the 1,000 MW of projects in the queue.

The Pavagada Solar Park (or Shakti Sthala) in the Tumakuru district of Karnataka is India’s second-biggest solar power plant, having previously been the world’s largest with a production capacity of 2,050 MW. The Karnataka government has also announced plans to expand the capacity of Pavagada Solar Park by 3 GW.

In the districts of Bidar, Koppal, and Gadag, three more ultra-mega solar power plants, each with a capacity of 2,500 MW, are expected to be built.

The southern state of Tamil Nadu has immense renewable energy potential, with access to sources such as wind, solar, biomass, biogas, hydropower, etc. Tamil Nadu holds the fourth position in India with an installed solar capacity of 8,145.53 MW.

Moreover, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation is planning to install solar power plants with a total capacity of 20,000 MW by 2030. The projects will require a total investment of Rs. 70,000 crores. Tamil Nadu government is also planning to develop district level solar parks, with the first one to come up in Thiruvarur.

As per the new data revealed by MNRE, Maharashtra has overtaken the Telangana to claim the spot of 5th largest solar powered state in India. The current installed capacity of Maharashtra is 4,870 MW.

Maharashtra experiences approximately 250-300 days of sunny conditions and receives an irradiation of 4 to 6 kWh per square meter. According to official information, tapping into this potential via solar photovoltaic systems could assist Maharashtra in producing 1.5 million units per megawatt per year.

Maharashtra is at the forefront when it comes to open-access solar setups. A recent report from Mercom reveals that Maharashtra holds the second-largest open access installed capacity in the country.Moreover, in November 2023, the state government further reduced the minimum sanctioned load limit from 1MW to 100kW, to promote renewable energy adoption in the commercial and industrial segment.

Additionally, Maharashtra government has raised the net metering cap for rooftop solar projects to 5 MW.

Adding to its accomplishments, Maharashtra is proudly hosting India’s inaugural fully solar-powered reserve, the Pench Tiger Reserve. Benefitting from the favorable policy environment, the substantial power corporation SJVN is underway in constructing a 200 MW solar project within the state, with an investment totaling 1000 crores.

Maharashtra has proudly introduced its first solar village with the complete solarization of Manyachiwadi in Satara district, inaugurated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

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