India has surpassed Japan to become the world's third-largest solar power generator in 2023. This achievement is driven by the significant growth in solar electricity generation within the country.
Furthermore, solar power maintained its status as the world's fastest-growing electricity source for the nineteenth consecutive year in 2023. During this period, solar added more than twice as much new electricity generation globally compared to coal.
According to a report by the global energy think tank Ember, India has surpassed Japan to become the world's third-largest solar power generator in 2023. This achievement is driven by significant growth in solar electricity generation within the country.
India's ranking in solar power generation has improved from the ninth position in 2015.
The Global Electricity Review, published by Ember, provides a comprehensive overview of the global power system in 2023 based on country-level data. This report, which includes the world's first open dataset on electricity generation in 2023, covering 80 countries representing 92% of global electricity demand, found that solar power produced a record 5.5% of global electricity in 2023. Reflecting this global trend, India generated 5.8% of its total electricity from solar in 2023.
“A renewables-powered future is now becoming a reality,” said Aditya Lolla, Ember’s Asia Programme Director. “Solar power, in particular, is growing at an unprecedented pace.”
Solar power maintained its status as the world's fastest-growing electricity source for the nineteenth consecutive year in 2023, adding more than twice as much new electricity globally as coal. India saw the world's fourth-largest increase in solar power generation in 2023, with an addition of 18 terawatt hours (TWh), behind China (+156 TWh), the United States (+33 TWh), and Brazil (+22 TWh). Together, these top four solar growth countries accounted for 75% of the total global growth in solar generation in 2023.
Globally, solar generation in 2023 was more than six times larger than in 2015, while in India, it was 17 times higher. India's share of solar power in its total electricity generation increased from 0.5% in 2015 to 5.8% in 2023.
Pathways to decarbonize the electricity sector show that solar will play a central role in the future energy system. According to the IEA's net-zero emissions scenario, solar would increase to 22% of global electricity generation by 2030. The goal to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, agreed upon at COP28, has the potential to put the world on this course. India is one of the few countries planning to triple its renewable capacity by 2030. However, according to Ember's analysis, annual capacity additions need to significantly increase for India to meet this ambitious target.
“Increasing clean electricity isn’t just for reducing carbon emissions in the power sector,” Lolla concluded. “It’s also needed to meet the rising electricity demand in an increasingly electrified economy and decoupling economic growth from emissions, which is crucial for tackling climate change.”
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