Advancements in renewable energy transition in India: A review

The share of renewables in global energy production has grown steadily for the last few decades. The oil crisis of the 1970s forced the developed countries to search for alternatives to fossil fuels and later the global warming and climate change warning accelerated these efforts worldwide. Being the world's third-largest consumer of oil and electricity, India started developing and installing renewable energy projects in the 1980s and is currently ranked fourth among the global leaders in terms of total installed capacity. This paper reviews the advancements of renewable energy transition in India and potential resources to be exploited to reach its clean energy goals. Onshore wind and solar are India's principal renewable energy contributors and are on the right track to reach the target of 175 GW by 2022. India has set a formidable goal of 450 GW capacity by 2030 to manifest its commitments toward sustainable development. This target may prove too ambitious unless accompanied by strong policies and incentives to attract the much-needed massive investment in the sector. It also necessitates promoting technology to accommodate unexploited resources such as ocean energy and offshore wind energy.