Energy Dive Featured Stories - In-Depth Energy Journalism & Market Intelligence

As India accelerates its renewable energy transition, Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2026 comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. Organised by Informa Markets India, the 19th edition brings together renewable energy, storage, manufacturing and global technology players. Julian Thomas, Portfolio Director – Energy & Battery Sector, Informa Markets India Pvt Ltd, discusses REI’s evolution, global partnerships, and the opportunities ahead.

The state may be behind Rajasthan and Gujarat in installed capacity, but its renewable energy story is becoming harder to ignore. New solar parks, storage, transmission infrastructure and distinctly seasonal demand profile are reshaping the state’s role in India’s clean power transition.

The country’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market is expanding faster than its domestic cell manufacturing base. The next challenge is turning announced capacity into competitive, reliable and bankable battery supply.

India has established systems for responding to marine oil pollution. The focus now is on strengthening salvage capability, emergency infrastructure, inter-agency coordination, contractual arrangements, training and technology to improve preparedness and response.

The country is targeting 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. Discussions at the recently concluded NuclearX forum during Bharat Electricity, Powergen India and Indian Utility Week 2026 focused on the policy, investment, technology, manufacturing and skills needed to expand the country’s nuclear sector.

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape operations across India's power and renewable energy sector, but its success depends less on algorithms than on the quality of data, engineering expertise, predictive applications and cybersecurity.

A series of government plans released over the past two years charts the most ambitious expansion of India's electricity system since Independence, combining clean energy, nuclear power, transmission, storage and distribution reforms to support a developed economy by 2047.

The country generated 33,562.83 MU wind power during April–June this year. This is 5.3 year-on-year increase, as per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). This growth remains highly concentrated to seven states, notching around 99.7 percent of India’s generation.

The country’s solar generation story is becoming increasingly concentrated in a handful of states. According to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India generated 62,791.14 MU of solar power, an increase of 45.9 percent from 43,044.62 MU during the same period last year.

Maharashtra has overtaken older solar leaders to become India's third-largest solar market, with growth now driven less by sunshine and land than by its factories, data centres and corporate power buyers.

As pipelines, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), city gas networks and compressed biogas infrastructure expand, India’s push towards a gas-based economy is steadily reshaping fuel accessibility, mobility and energy consumption across sectors.

The National Green Hydrogen Mission is building a full ecosystem, from ports and industry pilots to global partnerships, to make green hydrogen a driver of decarbonisation, energy security and industrial growth.