Andhra Pradesh leads the country in rooftop solar installations: Pralhad Joshi

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has stated that India is making significant progress in ensuring its energy security, and in this process, Andhra Pradesh is playing a vital role through rooftop solar installations and solar-powered agricultural pump sets. According to a report by The Hindu, he shared these details during the closing session of the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026 held in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

Addressing the session on 'Securing the Sustainable Future: Energy Resilience, Clean Technologies and Global Partnership', the Minister provided information regarding the increase in the country's power demand. He stated that the country's peak power demand was 123 GW in 2012, which has increased to 270 GW. Recalling the grid collapse in 2012, which left North India in darkness for nearly 72 hours, he said that the country is now meeting the increased demand without any disruption. Currently, approximately 33% of electricity is obtained from non-fossil fuels.

There has also been a major surge in India's solar energy capacity. Joshi stated that India's solar energy capacity was 2.80 GW in 2014, which has increased to 175 GW. Non-fossil sources now account for approximately 55% of the country's total installed power generation capacity. India is on track to achieve the target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.

Speaking about Andhra Pradesh's performance, he added that 7.86 lakh families in the state have installed rooftop solar systems. Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, 66 lakh families have benefited so far against a nationwide target of one crore. Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Zero Defect, Zero Effect' manufacturing, he said that green energy will help India emerge as a global hub for green manufacturing.

Pralhad Joshi is serving as the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy. He has led India's energy policies and efforts toward a sustainable future.