India’s Wind Installation Pace Falls Short of 2030 Targets: Report

Despite a recent increase in annual wind installations, India is not on track to meet its 2030 renewable energy targets, according to a new report by the energy think tank Ember. The country aims to build 509 GW of renewable energy by 2030, including 110 GW from wind power. However, to meet this goal, India needs to install 9.3 GW of wind capacity each year from 2024 to 2030.

Currently, the installation rate is only 2.8 GW for 2023, falling significantly short of the target. The report also indicates that while national wind targets are set to more than double global wind capacity by 2030, they are still below the level needed to triple it. The cumulative wind targets amount to 2,157 GW, representing a 2.4-fold increase from the 901 GW capacity recorded in 2022.

Achieving a global tripling would require an additional 585 GW. Dr. Katye Altieri, electricity analyst at Ember, criticised the insufficient focus on wind energy amid the emphasis on solar power, highlighting that wind provides cost-effective electricity and complements solar. At the UN’s COP28 conference, nations agreed to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, a move deemed crucial by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for cutting emissions and reaching the 1.5°C climate target. To meet this goal, wind capacity must also triple.

The report reviewed wind targets from 70 countries plus the EU, covering 99% of global wind capacity, and forecasts a doubling of global wind capacity, largely due to China’s anticipated overachievement. China is expected to triple its wind capacity by 2030, contributing more than half of the annual global wind additions from 2024 to 2030. With solar and wind projected to account for over 90 percent of renewable capacity growth, the report emphasises the need for rapid wind power expansion. It asserts that significant wind growth is possible with appropriate policy, regulatory, and financial support. Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, highlighted the crucial role of wind energy in the green transition, stressing that real action is essential to meet climate targets and ensure a sustainable energy future.