Solar, wind to dominate India's RE growth by 2032: Ember

Solar energy needs to grow 36% YoY to reach the 186 GW solar capacity target by 2027.

India's capacity addition from 2022 to 2023 will be led by solar and wind generation which will comprise 66% of the new installations under the country's 14th National Electricity Plan, according to think tank Ember.

The accelerated growth marks a major change for India’s electricity generation, transitioning from coal-dominated energy towards renewables and achieving the country’s 14th National Electricity Plan (NEP14).

Solar and wind generation are seen to increase by 593 terawatt-hour (TWh) and 189 TWh, respectively.

Meanwhile, solar power is entering the "accelerating growth" phase as the NEP14 expects its share in the energy mix to grow from 5% in 2022 to 17% in 2027 and achieve 25% by 2032.

It needs to increase by 36% annually to reach the 2027 target.

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As per the transition, issues such as grid integration, balancing of demand, cost-effective measures and storage options need to be addressed to avoid power shortages and slowdown of generation.

With the growth of electricity demand varying on peak hours, a definitive strategy for storage capacity on both solar and non-solar hours will be integral to India’s future energy generation and transition to renewables.

"India's electricity supply landscape is projected to change quite significantly in the next decade or so, with solar and wind likely to drive the growth in generation. Given their variable nature, a significant increase in storage capacity is crucial to balance generation and demand," said Neshwin Rodrigues, India Electricity Policy Analyst at Ember.