India wind energy on the rise to aid night-time clean power need

Wind power installations in India rose to a seven-year high in 2024, boosted by growing demand for round-the-clock clean energy.

The nation added 3.4 gigawatts of wind power capacity last year, the most since 2017, data from the Central Electricity Authority show. “We should be able to do even better this year,” said Ajay Devaraj, secretary general of the Indian Wind Power Association.

India has added nearly 130 gigawatts of renewable capacity over the past decade, mostly driven by solar power. During this time, the country’s solar generation capacity has risen by more than 26 times, but its wind installations have merely doubled.


The attention is now shifting back to wind for its ability to supplement other energy sources in providing round-the-clock clean power. Wind mills are seen as critical to meet power requirements in the evenings, when the sun isn’t shining, especially during the high-demand summer months.

Despite an encouraging growth trajectory, “the readiness of the transmission infrastructure is still in doubt,” Devaraj said.

Lack of sufficient transmission lines to carry power to demand centers is emerging as the biggest obstacle to clean energy penetration across the world. Soaring global demand has left equipment suppliers over-booked, resulting in delivery times being delayed by four years or more.