
Can India sustain its 50% non-fossil fuel milestone amid rising energy demands?
India's success stems from a combination of policies, technological advancements and large-scale deployment of renewable energy. Since 2014, non-fossil fuel capacity has surged from 87 GW to 242.78 GW, with solar energy leading at 94.16 GW and wind at 47.95 GW by November 2024. In 2024 alone, India added 28 GW of solar and wind capacity, followed by 16.3 GW in the first five months of 2025, reflecting an accelerated pace.Policy encouragement from the government has come in the form of programmes such as PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, and the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy. The PM Surya Ghar scheme, launched in 2024, aims to install rooftop solar in 10 million households, decentralising energy access. It has driven solar adoption in rural areas and integrated renewable energy into the grid.The government has planned transmission schemes to integrate 66.5 GW of renewable energy in states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, with 51,000 circuit km of transmission lines and 433,500 MVA of transformation capacity planned by 2030. Solar and wind tariffs are now among the lowest globally, making renewables cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Companies such as Reliance, Adani Green Energy and Tata Power Solar have invested heavily in the sector.Despite this progress, India faces hurdles in translating installed capacity into actual power generation. While installed capacity shows a balanced mix, actual electricity generation is heavily skewed toward fossil fuels making up 73.4 per cent of the total energy generated. This is due to their higher operational consistency.Renewables account for only 24 per cent of electricity generation as coal remains the backbone. Among the primary challenges is grid integration for the green energy already generated. The grid, designed for fossil fuels, struggles with the intermittent nature of renewables. Enhancing storage (for example battery systems) and smart grids is critical. Moreover, state utilities face financial constraints, and infrastructure investments are needed to ensure grid resilience.advertisement'Energy Poverty'—the absence of reliable electricity access due to affordability issues or inadequate distribution—is a reality for millions in India. Moreover, the achievement may well be short lived as India plans to add 80 GW of coal capacity by 2032 to meet rising demand, complicating decarbonisation. Another reality is biomass-based cooking in rural areas, which continues to expose millions to toxic emissions, requiring a shift to clean alternatives.India's CO2 emissions are the third highest globally, but its per capita emissions remain low at approximately 2 tonnes per person (2023 data), compared to the United States (14.7 tonnes), China (10.2 tonnes) and the European Union (6.2 tonnes). This reflects India's developing economy status and lower historical emissions. While the US and China lead in total emissions, India's emissions intensity has decreased by 33 per cent since 2005, surpassing its NDC target. However, coal's dominance in power generation means India's total emissions continue to rise, driven by industrial growth and urbanisation.advertisementIndia's focus on non-fossil fuels began in earnest with the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change, which launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in 2010, targeting 20 GW of solar by 2022 (later revised to 100 GW). The 2015 Paris Agreement strengthened India's commitment, with pledges to achieve 40 per cent non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, a target overachieved by 2021. Rising energy imports, geopolitical risks and the need to mitigate climate change drove this shift. The 2021 COP26 'Panchamrit' framework, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set ambitious goals: 500 GW non-fossil capacity, 50 per cent renewable energy and net-zero by 2070.Globally, renewable energy adoption varies. China leads with over 1,000 GW of renewable capacity (2023), driven by massive solar and wind investments, but its coal reliance keeps per capita emissions high. The US, with 350 GW of renewables, ranks second but lags in per capita emissions reduction due to heavy fossil fuel use. Germany, a renewable energy pioneer, sources 60 per cent of its electricity from renewables (2024), benefiting from advanced grid infrastructure.Developing nations such as Brazil (60 per cent hydro-dominated renewables) and South Africa (slow renewable growth due to coal dependency) show mixed progress. India's early achievement of 50 per cent non-fossil capacity places it ahead of many peers, though its generation share lags behind leaders like Germany.advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
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India.com
8 minutes ago
- India.com
Pakistani Voter ID, Chocolates: HM Amit Shah Says Forces Have Proofs Against Pahalgam Terrorists
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, stated that all three terrorists killed in Monday's Operation Mahadev in Srinagar were Pakistani nationals. Furthermore, he also said that those who were involved in the brutal Pahalgam terror attack have been killed. Responding to Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement that the Pahalgam terrorists could have been "homegrown", Amit Shah told the Lower House that there is proof of the terrorists' Islamabad links, as Voter IDs and Pakistani-made chocolate wrappers were recovered from their possession. The Home Minister also confirmed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) top commander Suleiman Shah, who was amongst the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, was among the three terrorists killed by security forces during the Operation Mahadev. Proof Of Terrorists' Identity? Amit Shah also claimed that the former Home Minister, P Chidambaram, is giving a clean chit to Pakistan and questioned what he would gain by defending the neighbouring nation. "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending Pakistan?... We have the proof that these three were Pakistanis. We have voter ID numbers for the two of them... The chocolates recovered from them are made in Pakistan…,' he said. 'The former Home Minister of this country is giving a clean chit to Pakistan. If they were not Pakistanis, then Chidambaram is also raising the question as to why Pakistan was attacked... 130 crore people are watching their conspiracy to save Pakistan…' Home Minister added. #WATCH | Delhi | On Congress leader P Chidambaram's statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "Yesterday, former Home Minister Chidambaram raised a question about the proof of the terrorists coming from Pakistan... Whom does he want to save? What will he gain by defending… — ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2025 According to the Minister, the three terrorists who were killed in Operation Mahadev were identified as Suleiman, Jibran, and Afghan. Suleiman was a commander in the LeT, while Afghan was also a part of the terrorist organisation. Amit Shah also said that Jibran was an A-grade terrorist. 'In Operation Mahadev, Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran, these three terrorists were killed in a joint operation of the Indian Army, CRPF, and J&K Police... Suleiman was an A-category commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Afghan was an A-category LeT terrorist. And Jibran was also an A-grade terrorist... All three terrorists who killed our citizens in the Baisaran valley have been eliminated...,' Shah said. The senior BJP leader further said, 'All three terrorists- Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran were killed in yesterday's operation. The people who used to supply food to them were detained earlier. Once the bodies of these terrorists were brought to Srinagar, they were identified by those who were kept detained by our agencies.' Operation Mahadev On Monday, the three terrorists were killed in Operation Mahadev in an intense firefight with security forces in the Harwan area near Dachigam National Park of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The anti-terror Operation Mahadev took place in the general area of Lidwas, the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army said.


News18
13 minutes ago
- News18
'My Mother's Tears...': Priyanka Gandhi Responds To Amit Shah's Sonia Gandhi Barb
Last Updated: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said her mother cried when terrorists killed her father, Rajiv Gandhi, and it is how she understands the pain of the Pahalgam terror attack victims Taking on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said he has talked about Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and even her mother's tears but did not answer 'why the war" against Pakistan was halted. In a fiery speech during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, Priyanka spoke about her 'mother's tears" as mentioned by Shah, who claimed that the former Congress president 'cried for the Batla House terrorists". Going into combative mode, she said her mother cried when terrorists killed her father, Rajiv Gandhi, and it is how she understands the pain of those who had lost loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack. 'My mother's tears were talked about in the House, I want to answer this. My mother's tears fell when her husband was martyred by terrorists, when she was only 44-years-old. Today, I am standing in this House and talking about those 26 people (who were killed in Pahalgam) because I know their pain and feel it," Priyanka said responding to Shah's remarks earlier in the day when he cited then Union minister Salman Khurshid's remarks to make the claim about Sonia Gandhi. Speaking further during the debate on Operation Sindoor she launched a full-blown attack on the central government over 'lapses" that led to the Pahalgam attack. She took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying leadership is not just about taking credit but also taking responsibility. Participating in a special discussion in Lok Sabha on 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam", Priyanka Gandhi said that if no aircraft had been downed during Operation Sindoor then what is the problem in stating this in Parliament. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


United News of India
20 minutes ago
- United News of India
'Terror can never succeed' : Farooq Abdullah on neutralization of Pahalgam attackers
Srinagar, July 29 (UNI) National Conference President Farooq Abdullah today said that if the terrorists neutralized in an encounter with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar yesterday were indeed the same individuals responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack, it sends a strong message that terrorism will never succeed. Dr Abdullah was responding to a question from reporters regarding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in Parliament that the three terrorists killed in Srinagar yesterday were involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack. 'I have not seen them. I do not know who they were. Only those who have seen them can identify who they were. If they were really the same terrorists, then it is a very good thing. It is a good thing that they have learned that terrorists can never be successful,' Abdullah said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said the three terrorists killed in gunbattle in Srinagar yesterday were identified as Suleiman alias Faisal, Afghan and Jibran and said they were behind the Pahalgam terror attack. UNI MJR RB