Govt to come out with policy on polysilicon soon
India’s renewable energy journey has become central to the country’s economic growth, energy security and manufacturing ambitions, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said at an industry conference on 12 May.
Addressing the ministerial session on “Towards 500 GW: Scale, Speed and Self-Reliance” at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, he pointed out that India’s power deficit has been almost eliminated and noted that the country successfully met record peak demand levels without disruption, with any localised issues arising primarily from network-level constraints rather than generation shortages.
“The 21st century will belong to India,” he said, underlining that renewable energy is now the most reliable and affordable pathway for sustainable growth.
He also said the government will soon come out with a policy on polysilicon, a key raw material used in the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic cells and semiconductors.
On the government’s long-term vision, the Minister said energy policy is closely aligned with industrial, climate and trade priorities, supported by strong policy stability and investor confidence over the last 12 years.
He noted that the Renewable Consumption Obligations trajectory has been notified up to 2030, while measures are being introduced to strengthen domestic upstream solar manufacturing, including wafer and polysilicon capabilities.
He also highlighted green ammonia procurement initiatives and a standardised 10-year warranty framework for solar PV modules, along with fiscal incentives to states to accelerate renewable energy adoption, as part of efforts to build a self-reliant and globally competitive clean energy ecosystem.
Speaking at the session, Girish Tanti, Chairman, CII RE Manufacturing Council and CII National Committee on Renewable Energy and Vice-Chairman, Suzlon, highlighted, “The world is witnessing the fastest energy transition driven by electrification, data centres and energy security concerns, with renewable energy emerging as the cheapest and most scalable source globally.”
He noted that India is uniquely positioned as a leader combining scale, speed, resilience and self-reliance, and stressed the need to strengthen grid infrastructure, bidding processes and domestic manufacturing ecosystems to sustain momentum towards the 500 GW target.
Rahul Munjal, Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Renewable Energy and Founder & Chairman, Hero Future Energies, said, “Energy self-reliance must be a national priority, and India must look beyond current targets towards a long-term clean energy vision including one terawatt capacity.”
He highlighted electrification, green hydrogen and low-carbon industries as critical to reducing fossil fuel dependence, while pointing to land, grid and demand-side challenges, adding that 500 GW should be seen as the foundation for building an energy-independent India.
Devansh Jain, Executive Director, INOXGFL Group, said, “India’s renewable energy story is no longer just about sustainability, but about strategic leadership and building globally competitive clean energy capabilities.”
He emphasised that India is now shaping, not following, the global energy transition, and called for faster execution, grid modernisation, policy stability and stronger domestic manufacturing across the clean energy value chain.
Dr Suchitra Ella, Vice President, CII, said India has entered the most decisive phase of its energy transition, moving from capacity creation to large-scale system transformation. She noted that India added 55.3 GW of non-fossil capacity in FY 2025–26 and met over 51% of peak electricity demand through renewables, reflecting strong policy direction, execution and industry participation.
She underlined, “Achieving 500 GW is not just about adding capacity, but about faster, smarter execution to deliver reliable power at scale. It requires a transformative change in how power storage and delivery are planned.”
The session concluded with deliberations on India’s clean energy roadmap, manufacturing competitiveness, energy storage, grid modernisation and pathways towards achieving and potentially surpassing the 500 GW non-fossil fuel target, with industry leaders emphasising scale, speed and self-reliance in India’s energy transition journey.
Separately speaking at the conference, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi emphasised the critical need to strengthen transmission infrastructure to support India’s expanding renewable energy capacity.
Sarangi highlighted that ensuring affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is central to India’s growth and competitiveness. He underlined that as India accelerates its energy transition, the focus must not only be on adding renewable capacity but also on building the supporting ecosystem, including storage, grid modernisation and efficient transmission systems.
Sarangi stressed that electricity prices must be lowered for India to remain globally competitive, particularly as energy becomes a key determinant of industrial growth and investment decisions. He noted that reducing costs will require a combination of technological innovation, improved efficiencies and scaled investments across the renewable energy value chain. He further emphasised that addressing curtailment challenges through enhanced grid infrastructure and better planning mechanisms will unlock the full potential of renewable assets.
Speaking at the session, Ashish Khanna, Director General, International Solar Alliance, elaborated on the need for deeper global collaboration in building resilient supply chains. “I would suggest that the Indian private sector probably needs to tie up a lot more with some of the international private sector, because I keep hearing from the private sector of all the countries that the road for supply chain diversification will lead through India,” he said.
Khanna noted that India is uniquely positioned to emerge as a global hub for clean energy manufacturing and deployment, given its large domestic market, improving policy ecosystem and growing technological capabilities. He highlighted that stronger partnerships could enable access to capital, technology and markets, thereby accelerating the pace of energy transition not only in India but across emerging economies.
Tarun Sawhney, Chairman, CII Committee on Bioenergy and Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, spoke about the growing importance of bioenergy in enhancing energy security and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. He highlighted the need to develop economically viable models and ensure long-term policy support to scale investments in the sector.
Rupal Gupta, Founder, Managing Director and CEO, Oriana Power, drew attention to the practical challenges faced by the renewable energy sector, including execution constraints, grid integration issues and financing barriers for emerging technologies such as battery storage and green hydrogen. She stressed the importance of integrated solutions and collaborative approaches that bring together technology providers, financiers and developers to address these challenges.
Moderating the session, Sumant Sinha, Chairman, CII National Council on Energy Transition and Hydrogen and Founder, Chairman & CEO, ReNew, emphasised that India’s transition towards an electricity-led energy system will be critical for achieving long-term sustainability goals. He noted that affordability of clean power will be key to driving adoption across sectors and ensuring competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global economy.
The session underscored that in a volatile and rapidly changing global environment, new energy partnerships across countries, industries and technologies will be instrumental in ensuring energy security accelerating decarbonisation and positioning India as a leader in the global clean energy transition. Fiinews.com
