India is well-positioned to achieve its target of 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030 because its vast solar resources are now paired with increasingly affordable battery technology. This combination allows the country to generate reliable power even when the sun isn’t shining, making the transition to clean energy both technically and economically feasible according to the authors of the newly released report.
“Installed solar capacity reached 143 GW in FY2025-26, up from less than 5 GW in FY2014-15, contributing to India’s broader goal of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030.” The authors note that the country’s “ground-mounted potential of 3,343 GW alone is more than 23 times India’s current installed solar capacity of 143 GW.”
The report explains that India has barely scratched the surface of its renewable energy potential, having developed only about 4% of the land suitable for solar power. In the past, solar energy was difficult to rely on because it stopped working at night, but a massive drop in the cost of batteries means India can now store daytime sunlight to use whenever it is needed. Because this stored solar power is now cheaper than electricity from traditional coal plants in many regions, the main hurdle is no longer the cost, but simply how fast the country can build the necessary infrastructure.
The report “Battery storage is now cheap enough to unleash India’s full solar potential” was published by the energy think tank Ember on April 7, 2026. It was prepared by a team of analysts led by Kostantsa Rangelova and Duttatreya Das.
