Renewable energy in India: The good, the bad, and the action needed

See how much of your state's energy consumption is from renewables in today's analysis

As the climate emergency becomes more apparent and the pressure on governments to act grows ahead of the COP26 in November this year, our Data Viz series this week will examine the status of renewable energy installation and generation in India.

Up to January 2021 of the financial year 2020-21, India generated 123 billion units of RE (1 unit is 1 kilowatt-hour), representing 10.85% of total power generated -- up from 6.76% five years ago.

 

There is a significant difference in generation and consumption between states. Among the states considered "renewable energy rich", the percentage of RE consumption to total consumption is very high -- as high as 43% in Karnataka, and more than 20% in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

On the other hand, several large consumer states such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana have no more than 4%, 1.4% and 1.3% of their energy consumption met from renewables.

Data visuals designed by Gokulananda Nandan and Gulal Salil.