India Reframes Its Renewable Revolution

Syllabus: GS3/Renewable Energy

Context

• India’s renewable energy sector is moving from rapid expansion to building a strong, stable, and resilient system to support its 500 GW non-fossil capacity target by 2030.

About

• In the past decade, India’s installed renewable capacity (excluding large hydro) rose from under ~35 GW in 2014 to over ~197 GW today.
  • India continues to add 15–25 GW of new renewable capacity annually — a rate that remains among the fastest in the world.
• The current focus is “capacity absorption” rather than just “capacity addition” — i.e., making sure renewables can be smoothly integrated into grid, market and system architecture.

Capacity Building in Renewable Energy

• Capacity building in renewable energy refers to the process of developing the skills, knowledge, infrastructure, institutions, and systems necessary to plan, deploy, operate, and maintain renewable energy technologies effectively. 
• It ensures that human resources, technical capabilities, and institutional frameworks are equipped to support the rapid transition to clean energy.

Need for the Capacity Building

• Grid Integration: As renewable share rises, grid operators need skills and systems to manage variability and intermittency from solar and wind sources.
• Technical Expertise: Skilled manpower is essential for design, installation, and maintenance of advanced technologies like battery storage, offshore wind, and hybrid projects.
• Institutional Strengthening: State and central agencies require capacity to plan, regulate, and implement large-scale renewable and transmission projects efficiently.
• Local Manufacturing Ecosystem: Building technical and managerial capacity supports domestic production reducing import dependence.
• Policy and Regulatory Capacity: Continuous upskilling helps policymakers and regulators adapt to evolving markets.
• Community & Workforce Engagement: Local capacity building ensures job creation, social acceptance, and effective participation in the energy transition.

Challenges

• Skill Gap: Shortage of trained engineers, technicians, and project managers for advanced renewable technologies like offshore wind, battery storage, and hybrid projects.
• Limited Training Infrastructure: Few institutions offer specialised courses; existing technical institutes often lack up-to-date labs, equipment, and faculty expertise.
• Rapid Technological Change: Fast-evolving technologies in storage, smart grids, and green hydrogen require continuous upskilling, making training programs quickly obsolete.
• Coordination Across Agencies: Capacity building requires alignment among central ministries, state agencies, private sector, and academia, which is often fragmented.
• Financial Constraints: Funding for training programs, research, and skill development initiatives is limited, especially for smaller states.
• Retention of Skilled Workforce: Trained personnel move to other sectors or abroad reduces the impact of capacity-building efforts.

Government Initiatives 

• Grid Integration Plan: India’s grid is being reimagined through the ₹2.4 lakh crore Transmission Plan for 500 GW, linking renewable-rich states with demand centres.
  • The Government is prioritizing investment in transmission infrastructure through the Green Energy Corridors and new high-capacity transmission lines from Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Ladakh. 
  • While these projects are multi-year efforts, once operational they will unlock over 200 GW of new renewable capacity. 
• Vision till 2032: Government has already planned for building High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) corridors and boosting inter-regional transmission capacity from 120 GW today to 143 GW by 2027, and 168 GW by 2032.
• Incentives: Domestic manufacturing, incentivised through the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, Domestic Content Requirement, imposition of duties, and duty exemptions for capital equipment, is reducing import dependency.
• National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE): Offers training programs, workshops, and research support for solar PV, solar thermal, and hybrid technologies.
• Capacity Building for State Nodal Agencies (SNAs): Training and technical support to state renewable energy agencies for project implementation, monitoring, and policy enforcement.
• Research & Innovation Support: Funding for R&D in battery storage, hybrid projects, offshore wind, and green hydrogen.
• International Cooperation & Training Programs: Collaboration with IRENA, GIZ, and other global agencies for knowledge exchange.

Way Ahead

• Large hybrid and ReNew’s Round-the-Clock (RTC) projects are moving into execution across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
• Offshore wind and pumped hydro storage are gaining momentum.
• Distributed solar and agrovoltaic initiatives under PM Suryaghar and PM KUSUM are deepening rural participation.
• The National Green Hydrogen Mission is linking renewables with industrial decarbonisation.
• RE integration through strengthening of Green Energy Corridor Phase III.

Conclusion

• Over the past two years, policy attention has consciously shifted from pure capacity growth to system design.
• These reforms mark a decisive step toward optimising transmission utilisation and fast-tracking stranded renewable projects, directly addressing one of the sector’s core implementation challenges.

Source: PIB