Green energy boost as renewables account for 20% generation in July

India's push towards renewable energy saw a significant milestone in July, with renewables accounting for nearly 20% of the nation's power generation, marking a 30% year-on-year increase. According to Grid India data, solar, wind, and biomass sources contributed 36,355 mw to the total generation of 181,790 mw, representing 19.9% of the total.

This compares to 27,835 mw from renewable sources in July 2025, accounting for 16.9% of the total. The power ministry official celebrated the progress, stating that India's shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources was yielding results. With renewables now covering over 42% of the country's total installed capacity of 552 gw, the official highlighted that including nuclear and hydro, India's non-fossil capacity reached an impressive 295 gw.

However, thermal sources, mainly coal and lignite, still provided 66% of the total generation, a 13% increase from the previous year. July witnessed a historic peak power demand of 270 gw, driven by extreme heat and the El Nino phenomenon. Hydropower's share in total generation was 10.2% in July 2026, down from 14.5% a year earlier, while all major fuels saw a year-on-year increase in generation, except for gas and hydro.