India, the world's most coal-dependent major economy (70% of power generated from coal), has been quietly working to boost its renewable energy capacity, with generation capacity for clean energy sources now totaling 331 GW. This compares with 302 GW for fossil fuels, with 2026 marking an exceptional year for India’s renewables as utility companies added 81 GW of new capacity, marking a 28% year-over-year increase.
The overwhelming majority of this year’s incremental capacity came from solar, bringing the total capacity to 211 GW, only 40 GW shy of India’s total installed coal capacity.
Yet despite the massive capacity available, actual generation has barely changed compared to previous years – solar and wind accounted for roughly 20% of power supply last month, whilst the share of coal has dipped slightly to 67%.
The next stage in India’s renewable energy expansion will revolve around upgrading grid infrastructure and building up battery storage as 10-15% of its generated solar energy is still curtailed.
