India needs to up clean energy game, must aim for 600 GW by 2030: Report

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India needs to scale up its non-fossil fuel capacity to 600 gigawatts GW by 2030 to meet its growing electricity demand reliably and affordably, a report by New Delhi-based think tank has said.

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) study, released on March 12, said if India's power demand continues to outpace current projections due to a warming planet or strong economic growth over the next five years, it needs a plan to raise its non-fossil energy capacity to 600 GW, mainly due to cheaper RE resources.

"This would include 377 GW of solar, 148 GW of wind, 62 GW of hydro, and 20 GW of nuclear energy,” the study titled How can India meet its rising power demand? Pathways to 2030 said.

It found that if India’s electricity demand grows in keeping with the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) projections, India’s existing, under-construction, and planned generation capacities would be adequate to meet power needs in 2030.

It is a first-of-its-kind study to model India’s power system despatch for every 15 minutes in 2030, the report said.

The research comes in the wake of the country’s power demand reaching a record 238 GW in February 2025 with peak demand expected to touch 270 GW in the summer months due to unusually warm weather.

The report identifies clean energy challenges such as land procurement, grid connectivity and balancing supply chain constraints and un-tied capacity under central auctions that need action to tap into the massive market potential and project implementation, CEEW founder and CEO Arunabha Ghosh said.

The report was release by minister of state for power and new and renewable energy Shripad Yesso Naik, Central Electricity Authority chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad and former Union minister Suresh Prabhu.

"Our clean energy journey has been remarkable — from 76 GW in 2014 to 220 GW in 2025 of non-fossil capacity. Renewable energy is the foundation of our future energy security. Every state must leverage its unique RE potential. A clean grid must serve consumers efficiently, while ensuring financial viability for discoms," Naik said.

Prasad said government’s policies have to continually address the affordability factor which drives industry and growth. "Annual scientific studies are needed to assess states' resources and requirements to tackle offtake issues. Further, delivering RE targets must be a joint effort between the Centre and states,” he said. “We need to take into account the comfort of each state in buying power depending on demand patterns as well. Finally, the share of electricity traded in power markets must grow.”

The study said if India does not meet its clean energy targets, and reaches only 400 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, power shortages could emerge, necessitating 10-16 GW of new coal capacity and significant enhancements in the transmission network to ensure grid stability.