UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has praised India's rapid clean energy progress, saying the country's renewable energy expansion is strengthening energy security, reducing fossil fuel dependence and setting an example for the global climate transition.
On July 21, 2026, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell visited New Delhi to meet ministers and business leaders and share a powerful message: India's journey towards clean energy is one of the world's most remarkable, and the best is yet to come.
Stiell pointed out that 50% of India's installed power generation capacity is now from non-fossil fuel sources, five years ahead of the target. Solar installed capacity has skyrocketed more than 50-fold since 2014, and solar manufacturing capacity has increased 75-fold. Today, new IRENA data reveals that India has the world's most competitive solar market, with the lowest solar power generation costs among all major markets. Renewables, he added, helped India avoid an $18 billion fossil fuel import bill in the previous year.
“In the global clean energy race, India has strong competitive advantages – especially your tech-savvy people. You need to consolidate India as a hub for clean-tech manufacturing, develop leadership in various fields, including electro-tech, green steel, etc., and accelerate investment in grids and storage,” Stiell added.
Stiell also emphasized that the need to accelerate the clean energy transition is an economic and strategic imperative. India imports around 90% of its crude oil, making it highly exposed to fluctuations in fossil fuel prices and supply during global crises. Every step towards electrification is a step towards self-sufficiency and self-determination, he added.
He also noted the increasing impacts of climate change—including extreme heat, disrupted monsoons and the threat of El Niño to crop yields in Asia—as reasons to accelerate progress on both clean energy and climate resilience.
With reference to COP31 in Turkey, Stiell highlighted the need to increase electricity's share in final energy demand to 35% by 2035. He urged developed nations to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and provide $300 billion annually by that time by increasing total climate finance commitments to $1.3 trillion per year, emphasizing that "all climate finance commitments must be fulfilled."
What's Your Reaction?
