India added an unprecedented 22 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity in the first half of 2025, a 57% surge from the 14.2 GW installed during the same period last year, according to a report by Rystad Energy. The growth was led by 18.4 GW of solar installations, followed by 3.5 GW of wind and 250 megawatts (MW) of bioenergy—marking the highest-ever six-month renewable capacity addition in the country. This acceleration is attributed to developers advancing projects ahead of the phased rollback of the Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) charge waiver, which will increase annually until full implementation in June 2028.

India’s total installed renewable capacity, including large hydropower, now stands at 234 GW. However, fossil fuels still contributed around 75% of the electricity generated in H1 2025. The report warned that India’s push for energy security—through simultaneous growth in both renewables and thermal capacity (80 GW of new coal-based projects planned)—is not yet a true energy transition. Without urgent reforms in grid upgrades and storage affordability, coal is expected to remain a dominant source.

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Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) also saw significant progress, with 7.6 GW allocated—5.4 GW to collocated solar-BESS projects and 2.2 GW to standalone BESS. This marks India’s largest BESS allocation to date. Standalone BESS tariffs averaged ₹4,000 per megawatt-hour (MWh), while collocated solar-BESS projects averaged ₹3,208 per MWh.

Key project winners include Jindal Group (990 MW collocated solar-BESS), NTPC and ReNew (900 MW each), JSW Energy (625 MW standalone BESS), Reliance Power (525 MW collocated), and Adani Green Energy (510 MW collocated).

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