India added ~11 GW of utility scale solar capacity in 2022; 47% higher than 2021 installations

From January 2022 till December 2022, approximately 13,956 MW of solar capacity and 1,847 MW of wind capacity was added in India. This signifies a substantial solar energy growth in India, with solar capacity increasing by about 17.5% compared to 2021, while wind capacity grew by 26.6%.

In terms of cumulative installations, according to the data released by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) till December 2022, India’s RE installation capacity reached 120.85 GW. Solar energy contributes for approximately 52% share in the total RE segment, making it the major contributor followed by wind energy (35%), Bio Power (9%) and Small Hydro (4%). Share of solar has increased by 5 percentage points in last 1 year.

Figure 1: RE installation trends in India

RE installation trends in India

Source: CEA, JMK Research
Note: Solar capacity includes utility scale solar, rooftop solar, and off-grid/ distributed solar capacity

From Jan-Dec 2022, about 11.3 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity was added in India. Compared to Jan-Dec 2021 period, installations are about 47% higher.

In the rooftop solar segment, about 1.9 GW is added in the last 12 months, this is about 42% lesser than 2021 installations. While in offgrid/ distributed solar segment, nearly 700 MW was added which is about 50% lesser than 2021 installations.

Figure 2: Annual Solar capacity addition trends in India

Annual solar energy installations

From Jan-Dec 2022, about 11.3 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity was added in India. Compared to Jan-Dec 2021 period, installations are about 47% higher. This surge highlights the remarkable solar energy growth in India and emphasizes the country’s commitment to expanding its renewable energy infrastructure.

In terms of state wise installations, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu were the leading states with most of the large-scale solar installations in 2022. While Gujarat led the installations with the commissioning of more than 1600 MW of new wind projects in this period.

Figure 3: State-wise Utility Scale Solar and wind capacity addition in India in 2022 (Jan-Dec)

state wise solar and wind capacity addition

Source: MNRE, JMK Research