PM Suryaghar, PMKUSUM Push India to 51 GW Additions in 2025, No. 2 After China

India installed 51 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity in 2025, according to Saur Energy. That's enough to power millions of homes and marks a big jump from previous years. The country now ranks second globally in annual additions, behind only China.

The growth came from two government schemes: PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM. Both focus on solar power, but they target different users.

Rooftop solar for homes

PM Suryaghar, launched in 2024, aims to put solar panels on 10 million homes. It offers subsidies directly to homeowners. In 2025, the scheme drove a surge in rooftop installations. Numbers from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy show that residential rooftop solar capacity more than doubled during the year. The scheme has been popular in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

Solar pumps for farmers

PM-KUSUM, started in 2019, helps farmers install solar pumps and small solar plants. The scheme has three parts: decentralised solar plants on barren land, standalone solar pumps, and solarisation of existing pumps. By the end of 2025, over 500,000 solar pumps had been installed under the scheme. That's according to government data. The pumps reduce farmers' dependence on diesel and grid electricity.

Together, these two schemes added more than 15 GW of solar capacity in 2025, according to Saur Energy. That's a big chunk of the 51 GW total.

Other sources

Large-scale solar projects still made up the majority of additions. Wind energy also contributed, with about 5 GW added. Hybrid projects and battery storage are growing, but remain small.

India's total renewable capacity now stands at over 200 GW. The government wants 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030. To get there, annual additions need to keep rising.

China added over 200 GW in 2025, so India's 51 GW is still far behind. But India's growth rate is among the fastest in the world. The country is now the third-largest renewable energy market in terms of total installed capacity, after China and the US.

Industry experts say the pace could slow if grid infrastructure doesn't keep up. Transmission lines and storage are critical. The government has announced plans to invest in grid upgrades, but execution will be key.

For now, the numbers tell a clear story: India's clean energy transition is picking up speed, powered in part by schemes that put solar on roofs and in fields.