According to a government letter, India will launch tenders for the installation of 250 GW of green energy capacity by March 2028 as part of its effort to reduce emissions by 45% from 2005 levels.
India is attempting to increase non-fossil energy capacity – solar and wind energy, nuclear and hydro power, and bio-power – to 500 GW by 2030 after failing to meet a plan to install 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022. Its non-fossil energy capacity currently stands at more than 175 GW, while its renewable energy capacity, excluding large hydro and nuclear power, surpasses 122 GW.
The document states that the energy-starved country will invite bids for the installation of 15 GW of renewable energy capacity each in the first two quarters of this fiscal year, which ends in March 2024, and 10 GW in the following two quarters. The third-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world wants to increase non-fossil capacity from 42.6% today to 50% by 2030. About half of India's 412.2 GW power generation capacity is now derived from coal.
About 10 GW of the annual 50 GW objective for new green energy bids will be allocated for installation on wind turbines. Almost half of India’s existing renewable energy capacity comes from solar, while roughly a third comes from wind.
Among the major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, India's rate of adding renewable energy capacity is second only to China, even though coal continues to be the primary source of electricity supply.
While coal’s percentage in power generation increased marginally from 72.3% in 2019 to 72.8% in 2022, the percentage of renewable energy in India’s electrical output increased from 9.4% to 11.6% during that same time.
The government has in the past used lower emissions per capita as compared to richer countries to support the continued use of coal.