Ray of sunshine

Recent changes in US import duties and tariffs on solar modules and cells present an opportunity for India. In the longer term, however, these could benefit local manufacturers compared with peers from competing nations.  India’s solar module and cell manufacturing capacities have increased rapidly in recent years. As of March 2025, the country had a manufacturing capacity of 80 GW of...

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Wind capacity soars but needs to gather speed

India must accelerate its efforts to scale up installations, optimise resources and embrace innovative solutions such as repowering and hybrid projects to achieve its wind power targets. The sector reached a significant milestone in fiscal 2025, achieving a cumulative installed capacity of 50 GW. By March 2030, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) projects the capacity to reach 100 GW…

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RE addition scales a peak but faces hurdles

India’s renewable energy (RE) sector marked a historic milestone in fiscal 2025, with a record capacity addition of 28.7 GW. Solar power led the charge with 23.8 GW, reflecting a robust 59% growth over fiscal 2024, while wind contributed 4.1 GW, up 28% on-year. The remaining capacity came from biomass, waste-to-energy, and small hydro projects. By March 2025, India’s cumulative solar and...

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Sluggish BESS supply chain struggles to keep pace with rising demand

India’s progress towards a future powered by renewable energy is gathering pace, driven by adoption of battery energy storage system (BESS). Substantial investments, strategic deals and robust policy support are powering growth in the BESS segment as the country targets 500 GW of non-fossil-fuel installed generation capacity by 2030. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates 60.6 GW of energy…

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Commissioning delays impacting India’s RE expansion

Project delays are hampering India’s progress towards its ambitious target of generating 500 GW electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. A report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on renewable energy (RE) projects under construction/ development as of September 2024 shows that, of the 174 GW renewable capacity in the pipeline, 25 GW is delayed…

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Raising the bar in solar PV modules

The solar photovoltaic (PV) module market is at a critical juncture as technology obsolescence accelerates across industries.

Since 2017, the market has been dominated by passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) technology globally. Now, with tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) and heterojunction technology (HJT), which provide higher efficiency, lower degradation and better cost competitiveness, emerging as the new gold standards in PV modules, a rapid…

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Storage to become a standard feature in solar projects

The recent recommendation of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) that all renewable energy implementing agencies and state utilities incorporate at least two-hour co-located energy storage systems (ESS), equivalent to 10% of the installed solar project capacity, in future solar tenders is expected to result in 14 gigawatt (GW) storage capacity being installed by 2030. As of December 31,...

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Powering rooftop solar

Building on the success of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the government has issued guidelines to further promote rooftop solar (RTS) installations under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) and utility-led aggregation (ULA) models. Launched in February 2024, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has achieved remarkable success…

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BEE rules give shape and direction to India’s carbon market

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has released a detailed guide outlining acceptable project structures for the offset mechanism within the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). This scheme applies to various sectors, including renewable energy, hydrogen production, energy efficiency, waste handling, agriculture, forestry and transport.  Table: List of draft methodologies for offset...

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Budget 2025-26: A decisive push towards energy security and clean energy

The Union Budget 2025-26 underscores the government’s commitment to promote renewable energy and domestic manufacturing capacity in the clean energy sector, thereby continuing to undergird a sustainable future. A range of initiatives announced, such as expanding rooftop solar power, developing nuclear energy and bolstering domestic clean energy…

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Navigating the US-led energy reset

The US government’s recent decisions to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and relax regulations on production and use of fossil fuels have added a new layer of complexity to the evolving global energy landscape as countries strive to strike a balance between energy security, economic growth and environmental sustainability. A significant player in the global energy landscape, the US...

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Green energy open access trips in Karnataka

The market for green energy open access has hit a speed breaker with the Karnataka High Court recently striking down the Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022, and the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Regulations, 2022, under its state’s jurisdiction…

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