Grid Strengthening to Match RE Growth
As of January 2026, India's commissioned Renewable Energy (RE) capacity stood at around 263 GW, continuing a steady upward trajectory driven by solar, wind, and hybrid power projects.
To ensure this expanding capacity can be reliably delivered to consumers, the National Grid is being strengthened on a continuous basis, with transmission systems for new RE generation planned well in advance of commissioning — a lesson drawn from earlier bottlenecks where generation capacity outpaced evacuation infrastructure.
This planning approach was reflected in January's infrastructure data, which recorded commissioning of a dedicated transmission scheme for evacuation of 4.5 GW of RE injection at Khavda, one of the world's largest renewable energy parks.
PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana Driving Rooftop Solar
A major contributor to this growth is PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG-MBY), implemented since February 2024, which targets rooftop solar installations in one crore households by FY 2026-27, backed by an outlay of ₹75,021 crore.
To simplify adoption, the scheme offers an entirely online process — from application to direct bank-account subsidy disbursal — along with collateral-free loans from nationalised banks at concessional interest rates over a 10-year tenure.
This combination of simplified financing and digital processing is designed to remove the two biggest historical barriers to rooftop solar adoption in India: high upfront cost and cumbersome paperwork.
Together, the RE capacity milestone and the rooftop solar push illustrate India's twin strategy of scaling up utility-level renewable generation while simultaneously decentralising power generation down to the household level.
Key figures to remember: 263 GW total RE capacity, the one-crore-household target under PM Surya Ghar, and its ₹75,021 crore outlay.
Source: pib.gov.in
