India Achieves 4,000% Solar Capacity Growth: Shri Piyush Goyal
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal announced that India’s installed renewable energy capacity has reached 227 GW, marking a 4,000% increase in solar capacity. He stated that India is likely the first G20 nation to have met its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Highlighting India's progress, the Minister cited Palli village in Jammu & Kashmir as the country’s first carbon-neutral panchayat powered by solar energy. He also noted the sustainability features of the IESW 2025 venue, Yashobhoomi, which includes rooftop solar panels, wastewater recycling, and energy-efficient infrastructure.
Goyal emphasized the surge in domestic manufacturing of solar photovoltaic modules, which has grown 38-fold, while solar cell capacity has increased 21-fold in the past decade. He spoke about key government initiatives including the PM Surya Ghar Yojana for 1 crore rooftop solar households, PM Kusum Yojana for solar pumps in agriculture, and the PLI scheme for boosting Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) production.
Congratulating India Energy Alliance and partners for hosting India Energy Storage Week (IESW), he said India is firmly moving towards round-the-clock renewable energy. Stressing the importance of energy storage, Goyal highlighted batteries, pumped hydro, geothermal and nuclear energy as vital to ensuring grid stability and meeting future demand.
He proposed a four-pillar strategy for India’s energy independence: innovation in next-gen storage like solid-state batteries, infrastructure development for EV charging and battery swapping, resilient supply chains, and end-to-end growth of the clean energy value chain.
Referring to the recent approval of the ₹1 lakh crore Research and Innovation Fund, he said India can rival global R&D investment at a lower cost. Goyal urged stakeholders to drive self-reliance in energy by advancing local manufacturing of battery cells, packs, semiconductors, BMS, and recycling systems.
