India’s solar capacity reaches 162.15 GW, a 57-fold rise since 2014
India’s government told the Lok Sabha on July 22, 2026 that installed solar capacity reached 162.15 GW, up from 2.82 GW in 2013-14, a 57-fold rise.
Photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels
India’s Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply on July 22, 2026, that the country’s total installed solar capacity reached 162.15 gigawatts (GW) as of June 30, 2026. That is roughly a 57-fold increase from 2.82 GW installed as of 2013-14, according to the minister’s statement, reported the same day by wire service ANI and by Indian environmental publication Down To Earth on July 23, 2026. India’s solar capacity growth is part of a broader national renewable energy push, with the government citing data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to describe India as the world’s third-largest country by installed solar capacity.
How the capacity breaks down
The 162.15 GW figure is made up of 125.60 GW of utility-scale solar, 30.11 GW of rooftop solar, and 6.43 GW of off-grid solar capacity, according to the minister’s reply. The government also disclosed that 56 solar parks have been sanctioned nationwide, with a combined 39,461 megawatts (MW) of sanctioned capacity across 14 states, of which 18,919 MW had been commissioned as of the reply date.
| Solar capacity metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total installed solar capacity (30 June 2026) | 162.15 GW |
| Installed solar capacity (2013-14) | 2.82 GW |
| Growth since 2013-14 | ~57-fold |
| Utility-scale solar | 125.60 GW |
| Rooftop solar | 30.11 GW |
| Off-grid solar | 6.43 GW |
| Solar parks sanctioned | 56 (39,461 MW sanctioned, 18,919 MW commissioned) |
Source: Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, written reply to the Lok Sabha, July 22, 2026, as reported by ANI.
Manufacturing and import shift
The minister’s reply also disclosed that roughly Rs 73,400 crore had been invested under India’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for solar manufacturing as of June 30, 2026, and that solar module imports fell from about $4,354 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year to about $994 million in 2025-26, as domestic manufacturing capacity expanded. Separately, the government said its PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana rooftop solar subsidy scheme had benefited 47.26 lakh (4.726 million) households as of July 18, 2026. The third-largest ranking cited in the reply draws on IRENA’s Renewable Energy Statistics, which separately showed India as third-largest by total installed renewable capacity behind China and the United States, a distinction the government’s own figures indicate extends to solar capacity specifically given the same two countries lead both categories.
The disclosure follows IRENA’s report that global renewable energy capacity hit 5,149 GW in 2025 and comes as Winss Solutions has also tracked solar and storage installations setting new records worldwide in the first half of 2026.
Background
India set a target of 500 GW of total non-fossil-fuel power capacity by 2030 and has expanded solar capacity every year since 2013-14, when installed solar stood at 2.82 GW. The government’s Production Linked Incentive scheme for solar manufacturing, alongside the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana rooftop subsidy programme, has aimed to both expand generation capacity and reduce reliance on imported solar modules and cells. The July 22, 2026 parliamentary disclosure, covering data through June 30, 2026, is the latest official update on that expansion and shows the pace of growth continuing well ahead of the 2030 target trajectory.
Sources: ANI; Down To Earth; Press Information Bureau, Government of India
Featured image: photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels (free Pexels license).
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy. At WINSS, I craft articles on sustainability, transformative AI, and related topics. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me chasing the perfect sushi roll, exploring cities around the globe, or unwinding with my dog Puffy — the world’s most loyal sidekick.
