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India’s renewable energy transition is now being driven by states stepping up with aggressive and ambitious clean power plans, tackling grid and policy challenges head-on to meet the national target of 500 gigawatt (GW) of non-fossil capacity by 2030.
At the Windergy India 2025 summit in Chennai, senior government officials from the Centre, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala outlined their renewable roadmaps — from 100 GW ambitions and repowering drives to hybrid solar-wind-storage models— while urging stronger transmission planning and faster clearances.
“There cannot be any energy transition without transmission,” said Arun Goyal, former member at the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), underlining the urgency to fix intrastate grid bottlenecks. “Our 2032 plan is ready, but post-award implementation delays and right-of-way (ROW) issues remain major hurdles. Private participation in intrastate networks must scale up.”
Gujarat, with 40 GW of installed renewable capacity, is leading India’s clean energy momentum. “We have stability, clarity and a single-window portal to ensure transparent RE approvals,” said Rajendra Mistry of Gujarat Power Corporation. “Our evacuation infrastructure is expanding in tandem with project growth. By 2030, Gujarat alone will contribute nearly 100 GW — 20 per cent of India’s total RE capacity.”
The state has 15 GW in pipeline, including 6 GW from industrial projects and 30 GW from the Khavda RE park, and plans to bid out 20 GW by 2028.
Rajasthan, India’s largest RE state with 40.5 GW installed, has consolidated solar and wind development under a single integrated policy.
“Rajasthan has the highest wind potential in India — 284 GW at 150 metres,” said Rajeev Singh, general manager of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation. “We have 10 GW of wind projects in the pipeline, backed by a Rs 26,000-crore transmission investment plan.”
District-level committees are now being empowered to expedite ROW clearances, while the state’s 2,450 MW solar park in Jaipur will open next month.
Tamil Nadu, historically India’s wind pioneer, is planning to revise its renewable energy and repowering policies to restore investor confidence.
“We’re rebooting our policies to improve transparency and speed up evacuation corridors,” said J Radhakrishnan, additional chief secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. “Even a 10 km gap in transmission can block gigawatts of power. We’re redrawing corridor plans to remove such bottlenecks.”
The state will also float 500 MW offshore wind projects, supported by central viability gap funding (VGF).
After a temporary pause on new Power Purchase Agreements, Karnataka is turning to hybrid RE and battery storage to address daily shortages. “We plan to contract 12 GW by 2030 and 38 GW by 2035,” said K P Rudrappaiah, managing director, Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. “Our upcoming tenders will combine wind, solar and battery storage to ensure round-the-clock supply.”
The state has already floated 250 megawatt (MW) solar + 1.1 GW battery projects at Pavagada and plans another 2 GW solar + 1 GW battery tender. It has also scrapped land conversion requirements for RE projects to cut delays.
Maharashtra aims for 65 GW RE by 2030 and 90 GW by 2035, including 6 GW standalone wind and 9 GW hybrid projects, under a forthcoming state RE policy.
“We’re finalising a repowering plan for old wind farms,” said Manoj Pise, additional director general at Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA). “Consultants are studying infrastructure and transmission needs to unlock new capacity.”
Kerala, meanwhile, is pivoting to small and micro wind systems suited to its dense, forested terrain.
“We’re revising the wind atlas, creating a single-window approval system, and piloting micro wind projects,” said Puneet Kumar, additional chief secretary, Government of Kerala. “Manufacturers must innovate turbines for states with limited land and high environmental constraints.”
Sivakumar Vepakomma, Director (power system) of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), said new Contract-for-Difference (CfD) and Round-the-Clock (RTC) tenders would drive wind’s share in dispatchable clean power.
“Future tenders will be technology-agnostic — wind complements solar in RTC supply. We foresee no contraction in wind demand,” he said.
India’s first offshore wind CfD tender is also being finalised.
As states and SECI align transmission, hybridisation, and manufacturing goals, India’s wind sector appears poised for a new growth phase — from land-linked projects to storage-backed, globally competitive clean energy ecosystems.