Solar and wind dominate India’s capacity additions in 2022

Among India’s clean power sources, the largest additions have come from solar in recent years. 2022 was no exception: India added 13.9 GW of solar capacity in just one year, comparable to the UK’s entire solar capacity in 2021. Rajasthan and Gujarat, the top two states for total solar deployment, together added 8.6 GW, slightly more than Türkiye’s entire solar fleet as of 2021.  Installations in all the other states combined were still sizable at 5.3 GW, larger than Chile’s entire solar fleet.

Combining wind and solar together, Rajasthan added 6.7 GW of additional capacity. This addition accounts for 43% of India’s total solar and wind capacity deployments in 2021. This was the largest ever annual combined solar and wind capacity addition at the state level in India’s history.

Growth in solar and wind capacity is expected to be concentrated in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which both have ambitious targets for 2030. Rajasthan and Gujarat together account for one third of India’s total RES capacity target of 450 GW, most of which are solar and wind.

India, especially the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, have demonstrated to the world that rapid deployment of solar and wind is not only possible, but also already happening. As the country presides over the G20 presidency this year, India is well-positioned to take climate leadership as a prime example on the possibilities of enabling clean power generation by unleashing solar and wind power.

Rajasthan plans to reach 90 GW of RES capacity by 2030. To meet this goal, Rajasthan would have to add 8.6 GW of RES capacity every year for the next eight years. This would mean surpassing the 2022 installation record in upcoming years. Rajasthan’s RES capacity reached 21 GW by the end of 2022, easily beating its 2022 target.

Gujarat’s 2030 target is about two thirds of Rajasthan, with an aim to reach 61 GW of RES capacity. To reach this goal, Gujarat would need to add 5.4 GW of RES capacity every year. Rajasthan’s success with solar acceleration shows that it is realistic for Gujarat to meet that target. Gujarat’s RES capacity reached 18.6 GW by the end of 2022, exceeding its 2022 target.

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Methodology

Throughout 2022, Ember tracked state-level capacity additions against their 2022 targets for renewable energy sources (solar, wind, small hydro and bioenergy) in its Indian state RES target and progress tracker.

Ember also tracks 37 Indian states and union territories’ power generation and capacity data from the Central Electricity Authority and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The data can be easily explored and accessed from Ember’s India Electricity Data Explorer. The data tool is updated every month.

Information on state-level targets for 2030 are collected from the following sources:

• Rajasthan’s Solar Energy Policy 2019 
• Mamta Verma, Principal Secretary of the Energy and Petrochemicals Department in the Gujarat government
• Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco)
• Punjab’s draft of new Renewable Policy, according to Mercom India
• Uttar Pradesh’s Vision 2030
• Madhya Pradesh energy and renewable energy department’s principal secretary, Sanjay Dubey, according to SolarQuarter Madhya Pradesh
• Energy Minister Sunil Kumar Karkala, according to Economic Times

Acknowledgements

Contributors

Aditya Lolla, Ardhi Arsala Rahmani, Rini Sucahyo, Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart, Ali Candlin