India has officially become the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, surpassing Germany, according to a recent report published on April 8, 2025.
The Ember Global Electricity Review, in its sixth edition, revealed that wind and solar power together generated 15% of global electricity in 2024, with India contributing 10% of this total. The report noted that low-carbon energy sources, which include renewables and nuclear power, provided a combined 40.9% of global electricity last year, marking the first time this figure has surpassed 40% since the 1940s.
In India, clean energy sources accounted for 22% of the country’s total electricity generation. Among these, hydropower was the largest contributor at 8%, while wind and solar together made up 10%.
Globally, renewables led the surge in clean electricity, setting a new record by adding 858 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024—49% more than the previous record set in 2022. Solar power was the largest contributor to this growth for the third consecutive year, adding 474 TWh in 2024. It was also the fastest-growing power source for the 20th year in a row.
Over the past three years, global solar power generation has doubled, now accounting for 6.9% of the global electricity mix. India, too, has seen rapid progress in solar energy, with solar contributing 7% to the country’s electricity in 2024, marking a two-fold increase since 2021.
In 2024, India added 24 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, more than double the amount added in 2023. This places India as the third-largest solar market in the world, after China and the US. India also saw the fourth-largest increase in global solar generation, adding an additional 20 TWh of solar power.
"Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition," said Phil MacDonald, Managing Director at Ember. "Combined with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it plays a critical role in meeting the world’s growing electricity demand."
The Ember report, which covers 88 countries responsible for 93% of global electricity demand, was released on April 8, 2025, and includes historical data for 215 countries.
Aditya Lolla, Ember’s Asia Programme Director, emphasized that the clean energy transition in Asia is gaining momentum, driven by unprecedented growth in solar and other renewables. "With electricity demand on the rise across the region, building a robust clean energy market is essential for expanding clean power. This will strengthen energy security, boost economic resilience, and ensure that emerging economies can tap into the benefits of the new clean energy market."
However, India faces a significant challenge in meeting the growing demand for energy while accelerating its clean energy capacity. Neshwin Rodrigues, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, pointed out that while India has made substantial strides in adopting renewables, it must scale up its clean energy generation to keep pace with the rising demand.
In February, UN climate change chief Simon Stiell hailed India as a "solar superpower", asserting that fully embracing the global clean energy transition would significantly enhance India’s economic growth.
As part of its climate commitments, India aims to generate 50% of its electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030, as per its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC in 2022. India has also set a target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, though this goal is not explicitly stated in the updated NDCs. Nonetheless, it remains a central focus of India’s energy policy, as outlined in the 14th National Electricity Plan.
However, an Ember report from February indicated that India may fall short of the 500 GW renewable capacity target unless funding increases by 20% annually from current levels.
(Reported by: The Hindu)
