India Surpasses Germany to Rank as World's 3rd-Largest Solar Power Generator: Report
- MGMMTeam
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
India emerged as the world’s third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, surpassing Germany, according to a new report released on Tuesday.
The sixth edition of Ember’s Global Electricity Review, published by the global energy think tank, revealed that wind and solar power combined contributed 15% of global electricity generation last year, with India’s share at 10%.
The report highlighted that low-carbon energy sources—including renewables and nuclear—supplied 40.9% of global electricity in 2024, marking the first time this figure has exceeded 40% since the 1940s.
In India, clean energy sources accounted for 22% of electricity generation. Hydropower led the mix with 8%, while wind and solar together made up 10%.
Worldwide, renewables drove the surge in clean electricity, adding a record 858 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024—an increase of 49% over the previous record set in 2022.
Solar energy remained the top source of new electricity for the third consecutive year, contributing 474 TWh in 2024. It also retained its title as the fastest-growing energy source for the 20th straight year.
In just three years, solar power's share of the global electricity mix doubled to 6.9%.
India also witnessed a significant rise in solar energy. Solar accounted for 7% of the country’s electricity in 2024, with generation doubling since 2021.
The country added 24 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity in 2024—more than double its 2023 addition—making it the third-largest solar market after China and the United States.
India also ranked fourth globally in terms of increase in solar power generation, adding 20 TWh in 2024.
"Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition," stated Phil MacDonald, the managing director of Ember. "Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world's ever-increasing demand for electricity."
The report, published on Tuesday alongside an open dataset detailing electricity generation in 2024, encompasses 88 countries representing 93% of global electricity demand and features historical data from 215 countries.
Aditya Lolla, Asia Programme Director at Ember, noted that Asia's clean energy transition is gaining momentum, driven by unprecedented growth in solar power and other renewable sources.
"With electricity demand set to rise across the region, a robust clean energy market is crucial for the continued expansion of clean power. This will not only strengthen energy security and economic resilience, but also help emerging countries access the benefits of a new clean energy market economy."
Neshwin Rodrigues, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, highlighted that India has made significant strides in adopting renewable energy but now faces a critical challenge: ensuring its clean energy capacity grows quickly enough to meet the increasing demand.
In February, Simon Stiell, UN climate change chief, referred to India as a "solar superpower" and emphasized that fully embracing the global clean energy transition would help accelerate the country's economic growth.
As part of its climate commitments outlined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC in 2022, India aims to achieve 50% of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
In 2021, the country also set a target of reaching 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Although this target was not officially included in India's updated NDCs, it continues to serve as a key reference point in national energy planning documents, including the 14th National Electricity Plan.
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