Non-fossil power generation share up towards 1/3rd mark

CHENNAI: Electricity generation from non-fossil fuel sources — including wind, solar, small and large hydro, and nuclear — is steadily inching towards one-third of India's total power output, with the first half of the current fiscal year witnessing a marked rise in its share compared to the same period last year.

Excluding thermal and Bhutan imports, India's non-fossil domestic generation stood at 301.3 billion units (BU) during April–Sept 2025, accounting for about 31.3% of the country's total electricity generation of 962.53 BU. In the year-ago period, non-fossil generation was 258.26 BU, representing a 27.1% share in the total power generation of 952.29 BU, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

While the large hydro segment reported a 13.2% rise in generation during the first half of this fiscal, other renewable sources together posted a 23.4% increase. In contrast, nuclear generation recorded a modest decline of 3.7% year-on-year.

Among the states, Gujarat emerged as the top performer with total renewable energy generation of 36.19 BU during the first half of this fiscal, followed by Rajasthan (35.87 BU), Himachal Pradesh (33.53 BU), Tamil Nadu (32.08 BU), and Karnataka (31.35 BU).

The growth in clean energy generation — particularly from renewable sources — comes even as the country's installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources has crossed 250 GW, putting India halfway towards its 2030 target of 500 GW.

As of now, India's total installed generation capacity stands at around 500 GW, with more than half coming from non-fossil sources. Excluding large hydro and nuclear, the country's total renewable capacity stood at 197 GW, comprising 127 GW of solar and 53 GW of wind, as of Sept 30, 2025, a significant increase from 35 GW in 2014.

In Oct 2025, about 3.6 GW of renewable energy capacity and 6 GW h of energy storage capacity were allocated to various developers. During the same month, the renewable energy sector attracted around $1.2 billion in investments, according to JMK Research.