A recent report by Ember, a global energy think-tank, reveals that India has surpassed Germany to become the world’s third-largest generator of electricity from wind and solar power in 2024. India’s generation capacity from wind and solar power reached 215 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2024, almost doubling over the past five years. While still below China, the largest generator of electricity from these sources, India’s clean energy growth is expected to continue.
The report highlights that the increasing demand for electricity from technologies such as AI, data centers, electric vehicles, and heat pumps is driving global demand growth. Additionally, the world reached a new milestone in 2024 as all low-carbon sources, including renewables and nuclear, provided nearly 41% of global electricity generation.
In India, wind and solar power contributed 10% to the electricity mix, with hydropower being the single largest contributor at 8%. While India’s clean generation continues to grow, it remains below the global average, highlighting significant potential for further expansion.
Globally, renewables were the driving force behind overall growth, adding a record 858 TWh in 2024. Solar power was the largest contributor, adding 474 TWh, and was the fastest-growing power source for the 20th year in a row.
Notably, despite the rise in renewables, fossil generation saw a 1.4% increase in 2024 due to surging electricity demand, pushing global power sector emissions up 1.6%. Heat waves were the main driver of the rise in fossil generation, mainly through additional use of cooling.
In India, electricity demand grew by 5% in 2024, with clean generation meeting 33% of the increase, and coal meeting the majority (64%). However, this was lower than in 2023, when coal met 91% of the increase.
Overall, the report suggests that clean energy growth in India is expected to continue, driven by increasing demand for electricity and government policies to promote renewable energy.