The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is an institution of the Government of India, serving as the nodal ministry for all matters related to new and renewable energy sources. Its broad aim is to develop and deploy new and renewable energy to supplement India's energy requirements and enhance energy security. The origin of the MNRE can be traced back to the Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE), which was established in the Department of Science & Technology in March 1981. This creation was a direct response to the two oil shocks of the 1970s, which highlighted the need for energy self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on imported oil.
In September 1982, CASE was incorporated into the new Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources (DNES) under the Ministry of Energy. DNES was upgraded to the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1992, and it adopted its current name, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, in October 2006.
The MNRE works by formulating policies, coordinating research and development (R&D), and promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, small hydro, and biogas. Key mechanisms include major initiatives like the National Green Hydrogen Mission, approved on January 4, 2023, with a target of 5 million tonnes of annual production by 2030. Other schemes include Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) and Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The MNRE connects to institutions like the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), a Non-Banking Financial Institution under its administrative control, and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). A significant recent change is the enhanced ambition in India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2031-2035, which aims for 60% of the cumulative electric power installed capacity to be from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035.