Know How Policy Support Boosted Renewables: India’s green capacity breaks records

According to a report released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India has achieved a remarkable increase of nearly 36 per cent in its installed power capacity in the pat five years, and the reason for the increase is said to be the rapid development of renewable energy.

2025 marks a clean energy milestone

The report pointed out that 2025 was a landmark year in India's transition to clean energy since the country achieved its highest annual installation of renewable energy capacity ever.

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Most of the renewable energy capacity came from solar power installations which received very good government and business support. The statement in the report summarized this saying "Installed power capacity has increased by nearly 36 per cent over the past five years, largely driven by the expansion of renewable energy."

CEA data shows rising renewable additions

The report mentions that the data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that the capacity addition of renewables has been constantly rising.

The addition of renewable capacity jumped from 5.6 gigawatt (GW) in 2020 to 14.4 GW in 2021 and subsequently to 16.4 GW in 2022.

Record surge in 2024 and 2025

The addition was slightly lowered to 13.0 GW in 2023 but the pace rose drastically afterwards, as 28.6 GW was added in 2024 and a new record of 48.6 GW was achieved in 2025.

Nonetheless, the growth of the fossil fuel power generation capacity has not altered the energy mix of India significantly as it has been the case with the drastic cuts in the coal and gas power generation sector, ANI reported.

Nuclear capacity adds slowly but steadily

Fossil fuel power capacity was increased by only up to 4 GW per year through additions, whereas the nuclear power capacity increased very slowly but was quite stable.

The nuclear power plant that received small additions from the year 2023 is a strong indication of the country moving towards a more proportionate mix of clean energy sources that includes, besides renewables, the nuclear option as well.

Big push for energy security and 2047 targets

According to the RBI report, India's push for clean energy not only goes hand in hand with its long-term goals set for climate change mitigation and energy security but actually serves as a strict measure for distance from non-renewable sources of energy.

The proposed introduction of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill 22, 2025, together with the Nuclear Energy Mission, is likely to cause a drastic rise in India's nuclear power capacity.

By 2047, India plans to enlarge its nuclear power capacity to 100 GW under these initiatives. The report of the RBI pointed out that the power sector of India is undergoing a major transformation, and renewable energy is the main facilitator in the capacity growth.

The unprecedented installations in 2025 are a sign of the strong force in the transition to clean energy in India, and thus the country is ready to meet its future energy needs in a sustainable way.

With inputs from agency.