India sitting on 10,830 GW solar reserve—New study reveals massive untapped capacity
NEW DELHI: What if India's next energy revolution doesn't come from deserts alone—but from rooftops, ponds, plantations, railway tracks, and even urban facades? A new reassessment by
The Energy and Resources Institute
(TERI) has unveiled that India is sitting on a massive solar reservoir of 10,830 GW, nearly 15 times the country's earlier estimated potential of 748 GW.
The report, Reassessment of Solar Potential in India: A Macro-Level Study, re-evaluates India's solar deployment capacity across conventional and unconventional land-use categories. The earlier 2014 estimate by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had assumed 3% of wastelands for calculating solar potential. In contrast, the TERI study integrates barren lands, floating solar, rooftop systems, agri-voltaics, building-integrated PV, and infrastructure-based installations like railways and highways to arrive at a more comprehensive solar landscape.
Ground-mounted solar PV on barren and unculturable lands alone accounts for 4,909 GW, with Rajasthan contributing the highest at 1,234.6 GW, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 731.3 GW, Maharashtra at 606.7 GW, and Gujarat at 592.6 GW. Floating solar PV systems, using water surfaces of inland reservoirs, tanks, ponds, and aquaculture zones, are estimated to offer 100 GW of capacity.
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The potential for rooftop solar has been revised significantly, with rural and urban systems together contributing 960 GW. TERI's estimate includes 600 GW from rural rooftops and 360 GW from urban areas, based on household size, roof area, and shading assumptions.
Agri-voltaics for horticulture, tea, and coffee plantations collectively contribute 4,177 GW to the total solar potential. Of this, horticulture accounts for 4,059 GW, with tea plantations adding 25 GW and coffee areas contributing 93 GW. The report recommends that agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras lead regional pilot studies to determine realisable project opportunities across different agro-climatic zones.
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Incorporating GIZ's 2024 estimation for innovative solar applications, TERI's report adds another 684 GW from railway tracks, roads, urban installations, and building-integrated PV. This includes 79 GW from railway infrastructure, 75 GW from roads, 309 GW from building-integrated systems, and 221 GW from other urban surfaces.
The reassessment has been undertaken against the backdrop of India's updated Nationally Determined Contributions, which call for a 45% reduction in emissions intensity by 2030 over 2005 levels and 50% of cumulative installed capacity from non-fossil energy resources by the same year. India's net-zero target by 2070 further raises the importance of identifying scalable clean energy sources.
TERI projects that India's electricity demand will exceed 5,000 TWh by 2050 and could rise to approximately 9,362 TWh—comparable to per capita levels currently seen in the European Union. In such a scenario,
solar energy
is expected to form the backbone of the non-fossil energy mix.
While the total theoretical solar potential is pegged at 10,830 GW, the report notes that realisable capacity will require micro-level assessments using GIS tools, remote sensing, and site-specific filters such as substation proximity, solar insolation, infrastructure access, and climate risk exposure. The study provides a macro-level map to guide future solar energy planning and investment in India.
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