India Surpasses 100 GW Installed Solar Capacity Milestone
Why focus: Major RE milestone — GS3 Environment. Tests exact installed capacity share and 'solar century' member nations in How-Many-Correct.
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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BEFORE: India had an installed solar capacity of merely 2.8 GW in 2014. NOW: Total capacity has surged past 100 GW as of early 2025, reflecting exponential sector growth over a decade.
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BEFORE: Solar power was a marginal contributor to India's energy mix, largely trailing behind wind power in the renewable space. NOW: Solar is the dominant renewable energy source in India, leading the capacity additions for the 2030 targets.
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BEFORE: Policy focused heavily on utility-scale solar parks to meet early capacity targets. NOW: There is an aggressive, decentralized focus on residential rooftop solar through the PM Surya Ghar scheme targeting 1 crore households.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding India's solar energy sector? 1. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission initially set a target of 100 GW of solar capacity by 2022 when it was launched in 2010. 2. India is the fourth country globally to cross the 100 GW installed solar power capacity milestone.