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Arun Dhital
May 12, 2026 | Updated 06:01 PM GMT+5:30
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India has surpassed 150 Gigawatts of installed solar power capacity, with more than 44 GW added in the past year alone, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has confirmed in a communication to environment advocacy group NatConnect Foundation.
The Ministry was responding to a representation made by NatConnect Foundation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Earth Day. In an official reply signed by Pradeep Kumar, Under Secretary, Policy and Regulatory Matters, the Ministry stated: “The country’s solar power capacity has reached more than 150 Gigawatts, out of which more than 44 GW has been installed during the last one year.”
The growth was attributed to policy initiatives under the National Solar Mission and associated programmes including PM Surya Ghar, PM-KUSUM, the Solar Park Scheme and the Production Linked Incentive scheme for solar manufacturing.
NatConnect Foundation Director B N Kumar placed the achievement in a global context. “Adding 44 GW of solar capacity in a single year is a major achievement,” he said. “While China remains far ahead with annual additions exceeding 250 GW, the European Union added around 65 GW in 2024 and the United States around 30 to 40 GW. India is now among the world’s leading solar growth markets.”
Kumar also drew a contrast with the pre-2014 period. “Before the Modi Government came to power, India’s total installed solar capacity itself was barely around 2.5 GW, while annual additions were often below 1 GW to 2 GW. The jump to 44 GW annual additions shows the scale of transformation that has taken place,” he said.
On energy security, Kumar added: “India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements and remains vulnerable to global conflicts, shipping disruptions and price shocks… Expanding solar energy as a mass movement is essential for reducing this dependence and strengthening the country’s energy security.”
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