India's 500 GW Renewable Energy Goal: "Easily Achievable" But Challenges Remain

India to reach 500 GW of Renewables by 2030 but not 2,000 GW by 2047

India is poised to reach its renewable energy target since the country is progressing at a fast rate toward the realization of its goal for 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. India installed a total renewable capacity of 218 GW so far up to January 2025, and another 150 GW is ongoing. India's national executing agency for renewable projects Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is of the opinion that this target will be achieved without any significant challenges in the near term.

But the way to the nation's more ambitious 2047 medium goal of 2,000 GW of clean energy will not be straightforward. India pledged net-zero by 2070 with clean energy at its core. While 500 GW of the same in 2030 is well within reach, the two-decade path to 2,000 GW is preceded by a series of issues which will have to be addressed.

Land acquisition for the renewable firms would be the greatest issue. Solar and wind-energy renewable firms require large portions of land to place the equipments utilized in the shape of solar panels, windmills, and equipment holding them vertically. Most of the such lands already used previously for the same firms are already taken, and hence new firms do not have much option. Land acquisition is a serious problem, and the ease of access to undertake the same will be one of the key determinants in deciding to what extent renewable projects are getting fast-tracked.

In this regard, how much needs to be done by state governments emerges in the scenario. There are certain states that have been more active in providing land at the disposal of renewable energy projects and having land acquisition expedited. These states will be able to attract more investment in the sector. Madhya Pradesh (MP), as an example, has been one of those states that have been producing quality good business-friendly policies for the development of renewable energy with a perspective to provide wind farms and solar farms with requisite land. States can take over the country in meeting India's renewable energy ambitions.

Transmission infrastructure itself is a huge barrier to the national scheme of the nation's renewable energy. Indian renewable resources are geographically concentrated, but the energy consumption and demand are dispersed throughout the nation. Therefore, there would need to be a highly efficient and strong network of transmission to carry the generated power from the renewable resources to the points of use. Such applications' upgrading of the grid would be mammoth planning and investment.

Energy storage is also a highly significant component of the renewable energy revolution. Power from traditional sources is not intermittent in nature, whereas power generation from the traditional sources is intermittent. Solar and wind power are weather-dependent to a great extent, and therefore storing surplus power during the peak generation season so as to use when the power generation is low is crucial. With the declining cost of energy storage devices such as batteries, they may be the solution to this. But India's renewable energy scheme is still biased towards the high-scale energy storage system from the investor's perspective. Despite such a challenge, India can still have the opportunity to complete its renewable energy scheme.

There has been great success in creating an investor-friendly regulatory framework for renewable energy development. It has involved such policy measures like tax credits, green certificates, and making sure a minimum entry threshold to be lowered so that the private sector can enter. The steep reduction in the price of renewable energy technology like solar photovoltaic panels and windmills also favors India to increase the output of renewable energy. India's renewable energy sector has also been exposed to massive foreign and domestic investment. The scale of large and expanding clean energy market has seen historic investment in renewable energy projects, especially solar and wind power. The falling cost of the technology has also made them an economic choice with aging fossil fuels and hence facilitated investment and expansion to the industry further.

While the nation would be well on its way to achieving its short-term target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, it would only reach its mid-term target of 2,000 GW by 2047 if there is concerted effort to solve the land, transmission, and storage problem. Depending on how effectively the private sector and the government fare in addressing these issues, whether the transition of India to renewable energy will be successful or not depends. Once India achieves its targets for renewable energy, the contribution of the nation towards sustainability and reducing carbon footprint will be an international force for combating climate change. The shift to low-carbon economies is as challenging as it is thrilling, and India's renewable energy sector can be the catalyst in defining the future world energy markets.

Source: MP Global Investors Summit (GIS) 2025