Renewable Energy Revolution: How India is Embracing Solar and Wind Power to Tackle Climate Change

Aditi Joshi
Oct 8
5 min read

Energy has always been at the heart of human progress. From the fire-lit nights of ancient villages to the coal-driven engines of the Industrial Age, every era has been defined by its power sources. But the very fuels that lifted billions out of poverty are now driving the greatest crisis of our time: climate change. India, one of the fastest-growing economies and home to more than 1.4 billion people, faces a particularly stark paradox. Coal has long dominated its electricity grid, but as the climate warms and extreme weather intensifies, the country is rewriting its energy story.

The Roots of the Challenge

For decades, coal was the backbone of India’s development. Even today, it supplies nearly 70% of the country’s electricity. This dependence has come at a cost. The Ministry of Earth Sciences reports that India’s surface temperature has already risen by about 0.7 °C between 1901 and 2018, with fossil fuel combustion being a major contributor. At the same time, per capita electricity consumption in India is still only around 1,400 kWh annually - about one-third of the global average of around 3,800 kWh. This illustrates the dual challenge: meeting rising demand while curbing emissions.

India is also uniquely vulnerable to climate risks tied to coal dependence. In 2024, sweltering heatwaves pushed India’s electricity demand to an all-time high, reaching around 250 GW during peak summer months. To meet this surge, coal-fired power plants were run at full capacity, as confirmed by government reports, though this stress on the grid raised concerns about forced outages in some regions.

A New Chapter: Solar and Wind on the Rise

India has chosen to respond not with hesitation, but with ambition. The country has pledged to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, with solar and wind expected to form the backbone. By mid-2024, India had already crossed 220 GW of renewable capacity as of 31 March 2025, ranking as the third-largest renewable energy market in the world after China and the United States.

Solar has been the breakout star. With falling panel costs, abundant sunlight, and policy backing through the National Solar Mission, India has built some of the world’s largest solar parks. Rajasthan’s Bhadla Solar Park alone produces 2.25 GW, enough to power over 4 million homes. Wind energy has followed, with Tamil Nadu contributing more than 9 GW and Gujarat over 10 GW of installed capacity. Together, solar and wind are reshaping India’s electricity mix.

Cutting Coal’s Grip

Transitioning away from coal is no small task. India still operates over 200 coal-fired thermal power plants, across key states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Yet the shift has begun. Independent modelling by CEEW suggests that current renewable energy policies and efficiency measures could reduce coal-based electricity generation by about 24% by 2030, compared to a no-policy scenario - equivalent to avoiding the need for approximately 80 GW of new coal capacity.

Health Benefits: Air pollution in India resulted in approximately 1.67 million premature deaths in 2019 - a staggering toll tied to fossil fuel use among other sources.

Water Savings: Coal-fired power accounts for about 80% of water withdrawals in India’s energy sector, whereas solar PV and wind have virtually no water consumption.

Economic Relief from Renewables: India’s import bill for thermal coal stood at around USD 21 billion in 2023-24, highlighting the financial burden that clean energy deployment can help reduce.

Clean Energy in Action

One of the most compelling stories of this revolution lies in rural electrification and women-led microgrids. While full MNRE figures for states such as Bihar, Assam, and Jharkhand are not always broken out, programs like Solar Mamas have empowered 3,500 rural women - many from previously off-grid communities - to install and maintain solar power systems, bringing clean lighting to 2.5 million people. More broadly, MNRE’s off-grid solar initiative has deployed over 84 lakh lamps, 17 lakh home lighting systems, 5 lakh solar pumps, and 9.4 lakh streetlights across underserved regions.

On the wind and hybrid front, Gujarat’s 30 GW Hybrid Renewable Energy Park - combining solar and wind with an integrated 14 GWh battery storage system - is a testament to India’s push for resilient, round-the-clock clean power. Nationally, India is also advancing over 65 GW of hybrid, round-the-clock, and bundled renewable projects, illustrating that hybrid and storage-enabled systems are now a central part of the renewable strategy.

Policy, Finance, and Global Role

India’s renewable energy revolution has been accelerated by a blend of policy push and market innovation. Programs like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme are building domestic manufacturing capacity for solar panels and batteries, while Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) require distribution companies to source a growing share of their electricity from renewables.

Financing remains a critical challenge. The International Energy Agency estimates that India will need over USD 160 billion annually through 2030 to meet its clean energy targets. Multilateral partnerships, such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) co-led by India, are helping to mobilize global capital and technology exchange. By positioning itself as a clean energy leader of the Global South, India is not only decarbonizing domestically but also shaping international climate diplomacy.

Educating and Empowering Citizens

Technology alone cannot drive the transition; people must be part of it. While specific references to the Solar Saheli program in Uttar Pradesh are not publicly available, the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) has been instrumental in building a renewable-ready workforce - having trained 100,000 individuals in the renewable energy sector by FY2022, and targeting over 1 million certified learners by 2025.

In addition, the National Green Corps reaches more than 120,000 schools across India, including in northeastern regions, fostering environmental stewardship among students through school-level eco-clubs. For example, Meghalaya has launched solar-powered classrooms in government schools to enhance educational access and promote clean energy learning, and schools in Bihar have been awarded for solar installations and eco-club activities.

Why This Matters

India’s renewable revolution is not just an energy story - it is a climate, health, and equity story. Each solar panel installed means less coal burned, fewer children breathing polluted air, and more resilience against climate shocks. The progress so far shows that rapid transformation is possible when ambition meets policy support, market innovation, and citizen participation.

The path ahead will not be easy. Storage technologies must scale, coal transitions must be made just and fair, and financing must flow steadily. But India’s pivot toward solar and wind shows a blueprint of hope: that even a coal-heavy nation can rewrite its future with clean power.

If the fossil fuel age brought both progress and peril, perhaps this renewable age can bring balance - between people and planet, growth and sustainability, ambition and responsibility. And decades from now, when historians look back at India’s climate journey, they may see this era as the true turning point: the moment when the sun and the wind began to shape a more sustainable destiny.