India’s 283 GW Clean Energy Milestone Must Now Deliver Real-World Adoption: Experts

India’s clean energy transition has entered a new phase where the focus must shift from building renewable energy capacity to ensuring its effective integration, storage and adoption across the economy, according to experts at the national seminar “New Energy: From Evaluation to Adoption” organised by Think Change Forum in partnership with Delhi Research Implementation and Innovation (DRIIV), Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, as Knowledge Partner.

The seminar brought together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, financiers and clean energy stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling renewable energy adoption while strengthening India’s energy security, industrial competitiveness and long-term sustainability.

Speakers noted that India has established a strong foundation for its energy transition. As of 31 March 2026, the country had installed 283.46 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity, including 274.68 GW of renewable energy, making it the world’s third-largest renewable energy market. India also added a record 55.29 GW of non-fossil capacity during FY2025-26, reflecting the rapid pace of renewable energy deployment.

Despite these achievements, experts stressed that installed capacity alone cannot deliver the country’s clean energy ambitions. The next stage of the transition will depend on the ability to integrate variable renewable energy into the grid, strengthen transmission infrastructure, expand energy storage, establish reliable procurement mechanisms and encourage large-scale adoption across industries, infrastructure, transport, buildings and households.

The discussions highlighted the growing challenge of renewable energy integration. During April-June 2026, approximately 8,133 GWh of solar electricity was curtailed due to transmission constraints and grid security requirements. Participants also referred to estimates by the Central Electricity Authority indicating that India will require around 336 GWh of energy storage capacity by 2029-30 and 411 GWh by 2031-32 to reliably integrate renewable energy while maintaining grid stability.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Ajay Mathur, Former Director General of the International Solar Alliance and Former Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, said India’s clean energy transition should now focus on five key priorities: improving energy efficiency, expanding renewable electricity supported by transmission and storage infrastructure, accelerating electrification of sectors such as mobility and cooking, developing practical decarbonisation pathways for hard-to-abate industries including steel, cement and fertilisers, and creating effective mechanisms for commercial adoption of emerging clean energy technologies.

He noted that while technologies will continue to evolve, India’s success will ultimately depend on how effectively these innovations are financed, deployed and scaled across the economy.

Speaking during the seminar, Shri Upendra Tripathy, Advisor (Climate Change) to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Climate Ambassador of Karnataka and former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), emphasised the importance of practical implementation and commercially viable solutions for India’s energy transition. He observed that global and domestic energy challenges require tailored approaches and said the focus should now move from identifying solutions to executing them effectively.

Highlighting the importance of creating an enabling ecosystem for emerging technologies, Shri A.K. Saxena, Senior Director, TERI, said successful deployment depends on supportive policy, regulations, standards, workforce development, financing and sustainable business models. Drawing parallels with India’s experience in LED lighting and solar power, he noted that technological maturity and economies of scale significantly improve commercial viability over time.

Addressing the role of research and innovation, Dr. Vishal Choudhary, Scientist F at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, called for stronger collaboration between academia, research institutions, industry, startups and government agencies. He highlighted the role of Science and Technology Clusters in bridging the gap between technology development and commercial implementation by delivering solutions that can be adopted by industry and local authorities.

The seminar also featured insights from Shri Jiwesh Nandan, Distinguished Fellow at TERI and Founding CEO of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL); Shri J.S. Chandok, CEO, ONGPL; Dr. Srikanta K. Panigrahi, Director General, Indian Institute of Sustainable Development; and Shri Raj Singh Niranjan, Managing Partner, Trans India Law Associates, who discussed policy frameworks, institutional collaboration and the evolving role of clean energy in supporting India’s economic development.

Industry and policy experts including Ms Disha Agarwal, Fellow at CEEW; Mr Sandeep Kanda, Consultant at the World Bank; Ms Rupal Jain, Technology Policy, Reliance Industries Ltd.; and Shri Vishwas Surange, CEO & Executive Director, Powerlinks Transmission Ltd., examined practical pathways for improving transmission efficiency, deploying large-scale energy storage, enabling cleaner industrial processes, strengthening smart energy management systems, addressing rising electricity demand from data centres and accelerating commercially viable decarbonisation across energy-intensive industries.

Participants broadly agreed that India’s clean energy ambitions can only be realised through stronger coordination among policymakers, utilities, financiers, technology providers, industrial consumers and institutional buyers. They identified four immediate priorities for action: aligning policy, finance, technology and market demand; creating bankable procurement mechanisms and commercially replicable business models; accelerating transmission and energy storage infrastructure alongside renewable capacity additions; and strengthening domestic manufacturing, research, skills development and resilient supply chains.

The discussions concluded that while India’s first phase of the energy transition was defined by ambitious renewable capacity expansion, the next phase must focus on integration, reliability and productive utilisation. Experts agreed that the country’s 283.46 GW non-fossil fuel capacity represents a significant milestone, but its long-term economic, environmental and strategic value will depend on how effectively clean electricity is transmitted, stored, purchased and adopted across the economy.