The Evolving Spectrum of Energy Sources
🔸 India’s renewable energy expansion reflects a policy-driven transformation that combines scale, speed, manufacturing depth, and global engagement
🔸 India ranks 4th globally in total installed renewable energy capacity
🔸 Non-fossil fuel capacity crossed 50% of total installed electric capacity
🔸 Solar energy, in particular, has seen rapid growth; installed solar capacity rose from 3 GW in 2014 to 140 GW in January 2026
💠 Renewable Energy Ecosystem
🔸 #PMSuryaGhar has enabled 23.9 lakh households to install rooftop solar systems, adding 7 GW of distributed clean energy capacity
🔸 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM) promotes solarisation in agriculture, reducing diesel dependence and stabilising farm energy supply
- The scheme aims to install 14 lakh standalone pumps (by 31.03.2026), promoting clean rural energy use
🔸 55 solar parks across 13 states, have been approved, with a sanctioned capacity of nearly 40 GW, accelerating large-scale deployment
🔸 In this process, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, using electricity from solar panels or wind turbines
🔸 According to standards notified by Govt of India, Hydrogen made this way is considered “green” if the total emissions from the process are very low, not more than 2 kg of CO₂ equivalent for every 1 kg of Hydrogen produced, taken as an average over last 12-month period
🔸 India has set a target of producing 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen annually by 2030
💠 Nuclear Energy
🔸 India’s present nuclear capacity stands at 8.78 GW
🔸 With new reactors under development, capacity is projected to rise to 22.38 GW by 2031–32
🔸Government has announced a long-term Nuclear Energy Mission with a vision of achieving 100 GW by 2047
🔸 Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of #NuclearEnergy for Transforming India (#SHANTI) Act consolidates and modernises India’s nuclear legal framework
💠 Energy Efficiency and Carbon Markets
🔸 A major shift has been the transition from the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme to the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)
🔸 Entities that perform better than their targets earn tradable carbon credits
🔸 #UJALA programme has distributed 36.87 crore LED bulbs
🔸47,883 million kWh of annual energy savings
🔸 3.88 million tonnes of CO₂ reduction per year
💠 Power Sector Reforms
🔸 Under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), and Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA), about ₹1.85 lakh crore invested to upgrade distribution infrastructure
🔸 18,374 villages were electrified, and 2.86 crore households gained electricity connections
🔸 Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS),with an outlay of ₹3.03 lakh crore, has approved projects worth ₹2.8 lakh crore to modernise infrastructure and implement smart metering