The total electric generation capacity through renewable energy in India crossed 200 gigawatts in September, according to the Central Electricity Authority.

In its latest report, the CEA said the RE sources, including small and large hydro, biomass, co-generation, and waste-to-energy, yielded 201,457.91 megawatts last month.

The report revealed that solar energy constituted 90,762 MW and wind 47,363 MW of the total electricity generated.

If one adds 8,180 MW of nuclear capacity, the country’s total non-fossil fuel-based power capacity is 46.3 percent of the total installed electricity generation capacity.

The report further stated that Rajasthan, with 31.5 GW, Gujarat 28.3 GW, Tamil Nadu 23.7 GW and Karnataka 22.3 GW, are the top four states in RE capacity.

The country saw an impressive 86 percent increase in RE-generated power from 360 billion units in 2014 to 193.5 BU.

New Landmark

Incidentally, the CEA entered its 50th year on Monday and is holding a brainstorming session on the Indian power sector scenario by 2047 in the presence of Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The session will include topics such as financing energy transition, building a resilient transmission system and renewable energy capacity planning by 2047.

The discussion will also touch upon the scaling up of hydro-power and harnessing pumped storage power potential and the role of green hydrogen in India’s net-zero vision by 2047.

The CEA has been instrumental in developing standards and strategies to integrate intermittent renewable sources into the national grid, ensuring stability and reliability.

Last August, the authority formally approved two Hydro PSPs: 600 MW Upper Indravati in Odisha and 2,000 MW Sharavathy in Karnataka in record time.

The government has prioritized the development of energy storage systems, particularly PSPs, to ensure the country’s energy security.

As per the Nation Electricity Plan, the installed capacity of energy storage systems, including BESS, is projected to be 74 GW by March 2032.

There is potential for about 176 GW of Hydro PSPs in the country, out of which 4.7 GW are under operation, 4 GW are under construction, 3.6 GW are approved to be started and 60 GW are under survey.