NEW DELHI: The government, under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, is empowering Indian households to generate their own electricity through solar rooftops.
The scheme targets 1 crore installations by 2026-27, with an outlay of Rs75,021 crore, Union New & Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition 2024 here, Joshi highlighted India’s strides in renewable energy, including a near doubling of capacity addition to 15 GW during the April-November period of this fiscal compared with 7.54 GW in the same period last year.
“In fact, over the past decade, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has charted an extraordinary path in the renewable energy sector. Today, India is one of the world’s most promising nations in the clean energy space,” Joshi said.
At present, India’s total installed capacity of the non-fossil fuel sector has reached 214 GW, marking a 14 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.
The minister stressed that this transformation aligns with the government’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, underpinned by sustainable and green growth.
Joshi underscored the government’s unwavering commitment to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based generation capacity by 2030.
Last month alone, India added 2.3 GW of renewable energy capacity, representing a fourfold increase from the 566.06 MW added in November 2023. “This transformation is not just a dream; it is happening today,” he said.
$ 6.1bn FDI into renewable energy
In the last three financial years, India has attracted $ 6.1 billion in FDI into the renewable energy sector, he informed. The government has also introduced a Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme with an outlay of Rs24,000 crore to boost domestic manufacturing of solar panels and modules. Additionally, 50 solar parks with a cumulative capacity of 38 GW are being established by 2025-26.
On the Green Hydrogen Mission, Joshi elaborated that support is being extended under the SIGHT Programme, focusing on two components: Rs4,440 crore for electrolyser manufacturing and Rs13,050 crore for green hydrogen production.
He revealed that two bidding tranches under Component I have allocated 3,000 MWPA electrolyser manufacturing capacity. Under Component II, 4.12 lakh tonnes per annum (LTPA) of green hydrogen production has been awarded to 10 companies, with a total subsidy of Rs3,055 crore.
Further tenders for 4.5 LTPA green hydrogen production and 7.39 LTPA green ammonia (for fertilizers) are currently live, and Joshi urged the industry to participate actively. “Let me know if you need any further support; we are here for you,” he said.
The minister also acknowledged industry concerns regarding the strict enforcement of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) and the expansion of transmission infrastructure for renewables. He assured that his ministry has prepared proposals to address these issues for the upcoming General Budget.
