In Short : India has overtaken Germany to become the world’s third-largest generator of wind and solar power, contributing 10% of its electricity from these sources in 2024, according to Ember’s report. Driven by rapid solar growth and supportive policies, India added 24 GW of solar capacity last year, reinforcing its ambition to reach 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
In Detail : India has emerged as the world’s third-largest generator of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, surpassing Germany, according to the sixth edition of Ember’s Global Electricity Review released on Tuesday.
The report by the global energy think tank highlighted that wind and solar power together accounted for 15 per cent of global electricity generation last year, with India contributing 10 per cent of its total electricity output from these sources.
In total, low-carbon sources — encompassing renewables and nuclear power — provided 40.9 per cent of global electricity in 2024, marking the first time this threshold has been crossed since the 1940s.
India’s clean electricity share stood at 22 per cent, with hydropower comprising 8 per cent, and wind and solar together forming 10 per cent.
Globally, renewable sources spearheaded clean electricity growth, contributing a record 858 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 — a 49 per cent increase over the previous record set in 2022. Solar energy alone added 474 TWh, retaining its position as the world’s largest new electricity source for the third consecutive year and the fastest-growing power source for the twentieth year running.
The report maintained that global solar generation has doubled within three years, now comprising 6.9 per cent of the total electricity mix.
India mirrored this upward trend, with solar power contributing 7 per cent to its electricity mix in 2024 — twice the share recorded in 2021.
The country added 24 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity during the year, more than doubling the capacity installed in 2023, making it the third-largest market for solar additions globally, behind China and the United States.
India also recorded the fourth-highest increase in solar power generation, contributing an additional 20 TWh.
“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil MacDonald, Ember’s Managing Director. “Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world’s ever-increasing demand for electricity.”
The report, which features an open dataset on electricity generation in 2024, covers 88 countries accounting for 93 per cent of global electricity demand. It also includes historical data from 215 nations and territories.
Commenting on regional trends, Ember’s Asia Programme Director Aditya Lolla stated, “The clean energy transition in Asia is accelerating, led by record growth in solar and other renewables.
“With electricity demand set to rise across the region, a robust clean energy market is crucial for the continued expansion of clean power. This will not only strengthen energy security and economic resilience, but also help emerging countries access the benefits of a new clean energy market economy.”
Neshwin Rodrigues, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, said India has made considerable progress in adopting renewables, but warned of the challenge ahead.
“India has made notable progress in adopting renewables but now faces a major challenge: ensuring its clean generation grows fast enough to meet rising demand,” he said.
In February, United Nations climate change chief Simon Stiell described India as a “solar superpower” and urged the country to fully embrace the global clean energy boom to accelerate its economic ascent.
As part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India has committed to achieving 50 per cent of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
In 2021, India also declared its intention to reach 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Though this specific target was not incorporated into the updated NDCs, it remains a central reference in national planning documents, including the 14th National Electricity Plan.
However, Ember had earlier cautioned in a February report that India would fall short of this 500 GW renewable energy target unless annual funding levels are raised by 20 per cent from their current mark.
