The International Energy Agency (IEA) in December released the Renewables 2022 report, a primary analysis on renewable policies and new technologies deployed to mitigate the global energy crisis. In it, the Paris-based organisation said India is on track to almost double its renewable power capacity over 2022-2027.

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the solar-installed capacity of India as of November 30 is 61.966 GWac. India also leads the world in PV manufacturing, falling short only of China due to higher investment costs here, the IEA reported.

Also read: India adds record 7.2 GW solar capacity in Jan-Jun 2022, says Mercom India

Photovoltaic (PV) or solar panels capture sunlight as a source of energy and convert it into electric energy. They form a crucial part of the global transition to clean energy and have rapidly grown in number while falling in price. India is on track to double the number of new installations of solar PVs, the IEA reported.

Lauding its "on-the-ground implementation of policies," the IEA report singled out Gujarat, which installed over one-third of rooftop PV systems in 2022. Gujarat accounts for 5 percent of the country's population. Data from JMK Research estimated that by FY2023, 65 percent of all residential solar rooftops will be in Gujarat.

"It will require the state to stay on track and protect investor confidence through a strong and consistent policy framework." Kashish Shah, an energy analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis had said in 2019 about Gujarat's potential.

Gujarat fares as the highest-performing state in India when it comes to rooftop solar.

As of June 30, 2022, Gujarat is the second-most solar developed state with a total installed capacity of 7,806.80 MWac. Rajasthan is the first with 14,454.70 MWac.

In October, Gujarat's Modhera became India's first fully solarised village. With a ground-mounted solar power plant and more than 1,300 rooftop solar systems on residential and government buildings, Modhera became the first village in India to be powered solely by solar energy.

Also read: PM Modi declares Modhera in Gujarat as India's first 24x7 solar-powered village

Gujarat has also commissioned the largest solar park in Asia in its Patan district, known as Gujarat Solar Park 1. A total of Rs 5,365 crore has already been invested in the park, which has generated 3,441 million units.

A report by the World Economic Forum highlights four key steps that set Gujarat a class apart in leading rooftop solar installations — namely an adequate supply of vendors, adequate demand through incentivisation, digitisation and a timely disbursal of subsidies.

The report also attributed the state's early state on its solarisation journey in 2010 to its current success. Looking forward, India has a long way to go before it reaches its 2070 goal of net-zero emissions but it is safe to say that Gujarat will be paving the way.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)