India has overtaken Germany to become the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember. Wind and solar accounted for 10% of India’s electricity last year, with solar alone contributing 7%.
New Delhi: India emerged as the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, surpassing Germany, according to the latest edition of Ember’s Global Electricity Review, released on Tuesday. The report by the global energy think tank shows that wind and solar together accounted for 15 per cent of global electricity generation last year. India’s share stood at 10 per cent.
In a significant milestone, low-carbon sources—including renewables and nuclear—contributed 40.9 per cent of global electricity generation in 2024. This marks the first time the global share of clean power crossed the 40 per cent threshold since the 1940s.
In India, clean energy sources contributed 22 per cent to electricity generation last year. Hydropower led among these with 8 per cent, while wind and solar together made up 10 per cent. Globally, renewable energy led the growth in clean electricity, with a record 858 terawatt hours (TWh) added in 2024—a 49 per cent increase over the previous record set in 2022.
India becomes third-largest solar market, fourth in generation growth
- Solar remained the largest source of new electricity generation worldwide for the third consecutive year, adding 474 TWh in 2024.
- It also retained its position as the fastest-growing electricity source for the 20th year in a row.
- In India, solar energy contributed 7 per cent to the country’s electricity mix in 2024, with generation doubling since 2021. The country added 24 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity last year—more than double the addition in 2023—making it the world’s third-largest solar market after China and the US.
- India also recorded the fourth-largest increase in solar generation globally, adding 20 TWh of new solar power in 2024.
Asia’s clean energy shift accelerating, Ember says
The Global Electricity Review, now in its sixth edition, includes data from 88 countries accounting for 93 per cent of global electricity demand and historical data from 215 countries. Aditya Lolla, Ember’s Asia Programme Director, said the clean energy transition in Asia is gaining momentum, led by record solar growth. “With electricity demand set to rise across the region, a robust clean energy market is crucial for continued expansion,” he said, adding that it would strengthen energy security, economic resilience, and provide emerging countries with access to a new energy economy.
India’s targets and challenges in clean power transition
Neshwin Rodrigues, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, said India has made notable strides in renewable energy adoption but faces a key challenge: scaling up clean generation fast enough to keep pace with rising demand.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell had earlier called India a “solar superpower,” adding that fully embracing the global clean energy boom would further accelerate the country’s economic rise. As part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC in 2022, India has pledged to achieve 50 per cent of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030. In 2021, the government also announced a goal of reaching 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030—a target not formally included in the NDCs but still referenced in key policy documents like the 14th National Electricity Plan.
However, an earlier report by Ember in February warned that India would fall short of this 500 GW goal unless clean energy investments increase by at least 20 per cent annually.
(Based on PTI inputs)
