India has climbed to third place globally in installed renewable energy capacity, surpassing Brazil, adding a record 55.3 GW of non-fossil capacity in the financial year (FY) 2026, while total installed non-fossil fuel power capacity reached 283.46 GW as of March 31, 2026.

This includes 274.68 GW of renewable energy and 8.78 GW of nuclear capacity.

China remained in first place at 2,258.02 GW, followed by the U.S. at 467.92 GW.

Total power generation in FY 2026 reached 1.85 trillion units, of which 29.2% came from non-fossil fuels.

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said India’s non-fossil fuel sources accounted for 50% of cumulative installed power capacity in June 2025, achieving the Paris Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) milestone five years ahead of schedule.

The Union cabinet recently approved the NDC for 2031-2035, under which India aims to cut its emissions intensity by 47% from 2005 levels by 2035 and to reach 60% of its total installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2035.

Solar was the biggest driver of growth. India’s cumulative installed solar capacity rose to 150.26 GW by March 31, 2026, including 110.43 GW utility-scale, 25.73 GW rooftop, and 14.10 GW under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) and off-grid projects.

The country added a record 44.61 GW of solar capacity in FY 2026, beating the target of 34 GW and nearly doubling the 23.83 GW added in FY 2025.

Distributed solar made up a major share of this expansion. The government said distributed solar energy contributed 16.31 GW, about 36% of solar additions in FY 2026. This included 8.71 GW of rooftop solar and 7.67 GW under the PM KUSUM program.

The PM Surya Ghar program reached 3.43 million households, including 2.27 million in FY 2026 alone. The program aims to install 10 million residential rooftop solar systems across India by FY 2027, with a budgeted outlay of ₹750.21 billion (~$9.04 billion).

Recently, the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) amended guidelines for disbursing service charges under the PM Surya Ghar program, introducing operational clarifications for state and model solar village implementation agencies, while retaining the program’s overall financial framework.

Under PM KUSUM, installations increased from 3.66 GW in FY 2025 to 7.67 GW in FY 2026. The cumulative installed capacity under the program reached 13.1 GW by March 2026.

Last month, the MNRE extended timelines for financial closure and commissioning of certain KUSUM projects, providing relief to stakeholders grappling with financing constraints.

Joshi said solar module manufacturing capacity increased from about 74 GW in FY 2025 to 172 GW in FY 2026.

Also, the wind turbine manufacturing capacity rose to about 24 GW by the end of March 2026. Wind energy also posted record growth, with India adding 6.05 GW of capacity in FY 2026, up 46% from 4.15 GW in FY 2025.

The cumulative wind capacity crossed 56 GW, placing India in fourth place globally.

The commercial and industrial (C&I) and captive segments contributed about 4.5 GW, or roughly 75% of total wind additions in the year.

The minister said the government released approximately ₹7.87 billion (~$85.12 million) in FY 2026 to develop transmission infrastructure.