India added approximately 26GW of solar capacity and 3GW of wind capacity during the first half of 2026, according to data released by Indian energy research firm JMK Research.
Solar installations during January-June 2026 reached nearly 70% of the total solar capacity added during the whole of calendar year 2025. Compared with the first half of 2025, solar capacity additions increased by 43%, while wind capacity additions declined by 16% year-on-year.
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As of June 2026, India’s cumulative renewable energy installed capacity stood at approximately 288GW, based on data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Solar accounted for the largest share of installed renewable energy capacity at around 56%, followed by wind at 20%, large hydro at 18%, bio power at 4% and small hydro at 2%.
Utility-scale solar installations accounted for around 19GW of new capacity in H1 2026, representing a 32% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
The rooftop solar segment recorded approximately 6.4GW of additions during the period, marking a 104% year-on-year increase. JMK Research said the growth was primarily driven by the Government of India’s rooftop solar initiative PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), which contributed the majority of rooftop solar installations (subscription required) during the period.
In the off-grid and distributed solar segment, India added approximately 842.9MW of capacity in H1 2026, a 3% increase compared with H1 2025.
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu were the leading states for solar capacity additions during H1 2026. Gujarat added 7.6GW, accounting for 29% of new solar installations, followed by Rajasthan with 6.6GW (25%) and Tamil Nadu with 2.4GW (9%).
According to JMK Research, India is expected to add around 47GW of new solar and wind capacity during calendar year 2026, supported by the growth recorded in the first half of the year. The firm expects the expansion trend to continue through the second half of 2026, keeping India on track towards its target of achieving 500GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
In May 2026, JMK reported that India had added around 14.2GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2026, a 95% increase from the previous quarter. The additions comprised 12.12GW of utility-scale solar and 2.14GW of rooftop solar capacity between January and March, according to the research firm’s quarterly data.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, the research firm projected that India would add 42.5GW of solar capacity during the year, comprising 32.5GW of utility-scale projects, 8.5GW of rooftop solar and 1.5GW of off-grid installations. The research firm reported that India added approximately 6.2GW of utility-scale solar capacity in Q4 2025.
