From the Editorial Desk IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026 – 26 August, 2026
The 45–50 GW figure caught my attention.
According to Nuvama Research, India could add that much renewable energy capacity every year over the next two years. At a time when electricity demand itself is growing rapidly, that is certainly encouraging.
But I found another number in the report equally interesting: nearly 140 GW of renewable capacity is still waiting to be tied up through power purchase agreements.
That, perhaps, tells us more about the next phase of India’s renewable journey.
We have become quite good at talking about capacity — what has been tendered, awarded, commissioned and what is coming next. The conversation now has to move towards how effectively that capacity gets connected to demand.
The numbers are substantial. Around 226 GW of renewable capacity has been tendered since FY23. Roughly 126 GW has been awarded, and about 86 GW currently has PPAs.
There is clearly no shortage of projects in the pipeline.
At the same time, India needs more electricity. Power consumption in July was around 171 billion units, up 11.2% from a year earlier, while peak demand touched nearly 270 GW.
So we have an interesting situation developing. Renewable capacity is growing quickly, yet thermal power continues to carry much of the generation load. According to the report, thermal accounted for around 67% of the generation mix in July, compared with approximately 20% from renewables.
This isn’t contradictory. It simply shows how large India’s energy requirement is becoming.
And this is where I see a direct connection with green hydrogen.
Hydrogen production needs large quantities of electricity. If India continues adding renewable capacity, it certainly improves the foundation on which a domestic green hydrogen industry can be built.
But there is a catch.
The report says average electricity prices during solar hours in July were around ₹2.8 per kWh. During non-solar evening hours, they were closer to ₹7.5 per kWh.
For a hydrogen producer, that difference matters.
It is easy to say that India has abundant and increasingly affordable renewable power. Running an electrolyser competitively through the day is a different matter altogether. What happens when the sun goes down? How much storage makes economic sense? What combination of solar and wind gives better utilisation? Can transmission capacity reach the hydrogen project when required?
These are practical questions, and eventually they will decide the price at which India can produce green hydrogen.
Transmission, therefore, deserves much more attention than it usually receives in the renewable-energy discussion. Nuvama has also pointed to execution difficulties in transmission projects. If generation grows faster than our ability to move electricity, we create another bottleneck.
For green hydrogen projects in particular, location, connectivity and access to renewable electricity may prove just as important as electrolyser technology.
I think this is where India’s energy conversation is becoming more interesting.
Renewables, storage, transmission and green hydrogen cannot really be discussed in isolation anymore. Neither can industrial demand.
A refinery considering green hydrogen does not care only about how many gigawatts of solar capacity India has installed. It ultimately needs hydrogen at a price that works for its business. The same applies to fertiliser, steel, mobility or shipping.
So, yes, 45–50 GW of renewable additions every year would be an important achievement.
But the bigger opportunity is what India does with those gigawatts once they are built.
If we can connect affordable renewable power with stronger transmission, storage and large industrial users, India’s renewable advantage starts becoming an industrial advantage as well.
And that is an important conversation for the hydrogen industry to have.
At IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026, where different parts of the hydrogen value chain will come together, I would particularly like to see this question discussed from a commercial standpoint:
How do we turn India’s renewable-energy advantage into genuinely competitive green hydrogen?
Because ultimately, the number that will matter most may not be how many gigawatts India adds.
It will be what we are able to build with them.
FAQs
1. How much renewable capacity could India add over the next two years?
Nuvama Research estimates annual additions of around 45–50 GW, including rooftop solar capacity.
2. How much renewable capacity has been tendered since FY23?
According to the report, approximately 226 GW has been tendered, of which around 126 GW has been awarded.
3. Why are PPAs important for renewable projects?
PPAs provide projects with contracted buyers and revenue visibility. The report indicates that around 140 GW of capacity is still awaiting PPAs.
4. Why does renewable expansion matter for green hydrogen?
Green hydrogen requires renewable electricity for electrolysis. Greater availability of competitively priced renewable power can therefore improve the economics and scalability of green hydrogen production.
5. What challenges could affect India’s renewable expansion?
Apart from securing PPAs, transmission infrastructure and project execution remain important. Nuvama specifically highlighted execution constraints affecting transmission projects.
6. How does this relate to IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026?
The relationship between renewable power, transmission, hydrogen production, storage, project economics and industrial demand will be central to scaling India’s hydrogen economy. These interconnected issues form an important part of the wider industry conversation around IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026.