Date : 21-June-2025
India’s drive towards achieving its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), particularly the ambitious target of net-zero emissions by 2070, hinges significantly on expanding solar power capacity.
In 2014, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) estimated India’s solar potential at 748 GW, assuming the use of just 3% of the country’s wastelands. However, given the evolving energy demand and new technological applications, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) reassessed this estimate through a comprehensive macro-level study.
TERI’s reassessment identifies eight major categories contributing to the revised solar potential estimate of approximately 10,830 GW. The categories include ground-mounted PV on barren lands, floating solar PV, rooftop solar in rural and urban areas, Agri-PV (including tea and coffee plantations), rail and road integrated PV, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), and urban PV. This new potential, based on a combination of literature review, GIS mapping, and realistic assumptions, provides a more robust and forward-looking view of India’s solar landscape.
The study estimates solar potential across the following categories:
- Ground-mounted PV on barren and unculturable land: 4,909 GW
- Floating solar PV: 100 GW
- Rural and urban rooftop PV: 960 GW
- Agri-PV (across horticulture, coffee, and tea plantations): 4,177 GW
- Railway, roadway, building-integrated PV (BIPV), and urban PV: 684 GW (Based on estimates from a collaborative study by GIZ India, CSTEP, EY, and Fraunhofer)
For ground-mounted and floating systems, a standardized land-use norm of 3 acres per megawatt was applied.
State-wise highlights include:
- Rajasthan: 1,234.6 GW
- Madhya Pradesh: 731.3 GW
- Maharashtra: 606.7 GW
Achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 will require a huge expansion of non-fossil energy sources, with solar energy playing the major role. TERI’s study estimates that the electricity demand will exceed 5,000 TWh by 20501. Furthermore, as another TERI discussion paper, ‘India’s Journey to Net Zero: A Conceptual Framework for Analysis’, projects that India’s electricity consumption could grow five to six times, eventually peaking at levels comparable to the present levels of consumption in the European Union (EU) – equivalent to a per capita consumption of 6687 kWh or a total consumption of approximately 9362 TWh. This highlights the critical role of solar energy in decarbonizing India’s power sector. Beyond this point, electricity consumption is expected to plateau.
TERI continues to lead the way in supporting India’s energy transition through strategic research and innovation. As India moves steadily toward its net-zero goals, such studies promise to offer a robust foundation for informed action across government, industry, and civil society.
References:
India’s solar potential estimated at 10.8 TW
India’s solar potential could far exceed previous assessments
New study estimates India’s solar potential at 10,830 GW – pv magazine India