Report: India has surpassed Japan as world's third-largest solar power generator

India surpassed Japan to claim the title of the world's third-largest solar power generator in 2023 as it has climbed from ninth ranking in 2015, according to a report.

On Wednesday, the Global Electricity Review 2024 was published which offers a comprehensive examination of the global power landscape in 2023, drawing on data from individual countries.

Accompanying this review is the world's inaugural open dataset on electricity generation in 2023, encompassing 80 nations that represent 92% of global electricity demand, along with historical data from 215 countries.

In 2023, solar energy achieved a milestone as it contributed 5.5 % to global production and India alone generated 5.8 % of its electricity from solar energy.

India experienced the world's fourth-largest surge in solar generation in 2023, adding 18 Terawatt hours (TWh) to its capacity, following China (+156 TWh), the United States (+33 TWh), and Brazil (+22 TWh).

These top four countries collectively accounted for 75 percent of global solar growth that year.

The trajectory of solar energy has been accelerating rapidly. Global solar generation in 2023 exceeded six times that of 2015, with India experiencing a seventeen-fold increase during the same period. India's share of solar generation surged from 0.5 percent in 2015 to 5.8 percent in 2023.

Pathways toward decarbonizing electricity underscore the pivotal role solar energy will play in shaping the future energy landscape.

According to the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario, solar energy's contribution is projected to rise to 22 % of global electricity generation by 2030.

The aim of tripling global renewables capacity by 2030, as agreed upon at COP28, holds promise in advancing this trajectory.

India stands among the select few nations committed to tripling renewable capacity by 2030.

Ember's analysis suggests that India will need to significantly ramp up annual capacity additions to meet this ambitious target.