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India’s solar potential reassessed at 10,830 GW

India’s drive towards achieving its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), particularly the ambitious target of net-zero emissions by 2070, hinges significantly on expanding solar power capacity. In 2014, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) estimated India’s solar potential at 748 GW, assuming the use of just 3 percent of the country’s wastelands. However, given the evolving energy demand and new technological applications, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) reassessed this estimate through a comprehensive macro-level study. TERI’s A reassessment identifies eight major categories contributing to the revised solar potential estimate of approximately 10,830 gigawatts (GW). The categories include ground-mounted PV on barren lands, floating solar PV, rooftop solar in rural and urban areas, Agri-PV (including tea and coffee plantations), rail and road integrated PV, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), and urban PV. This new potential, based on a combination of literature review, GIS mapping, and realistic assumptions, provides a more robust and forward-looking view of India’s solar landscape. Ground-mounted solar PV on barren and unculturable land alone accounts for an estimated 4,909 GW, floating solar PV (FSPV) offers an additional 100 GW potential. Rural and urban rooftop PV together contribute another 960 GW, with rural areas accounting for 600 GW and urban areas for 360 GW. Agri-PV presents a massive opportunity, particularly for horticulture, tea, and coffee plantations. With appropriate assumptions and crop suitability indices, this category contributes 4,177 GW. The remaining solar potential of 684 GW comes from rail and road-integrated PV (154 GW), BIPV (309 GW), and urban PV (221 GW), with figures largely derived from earlier studies conducted by GIZ.