Natalia Welzenbach-Marcu | October 23, 2018

India set out to conquer renewable energy by 2022 with an ambitious goal: install enough solar panels and wind turbines to generate 100 gigawatts of solar energy capacity and 75 gigawatts of wind capacity. “Capacity”, in this case, refers to the maximum amount of energy a generator or energy source can produce when working at full-speed under ideal conditions.

As one of the most densely populated countries in the world, stable energy sources are immensely important for India, and its scientists and engineers have been making enormous strides to use clean, renewable energy whenever and wherever possible. Since 2014, in fact, the nation’s solar energy capacity has nearly doubled, and solar-powered generators can now produce over 61 gigawatts of energy at maximum function.

Despite these encouraging numbers, India will likely fall behind its future goals of increasing its energy capacity by 2022, with recent projections speculating that the nation will probably only reach about 75% of that goal. This comes down to a combination of the weakening rupee, which has lost some value compared to the US dollar, and some issues acquiring land to build these larger solar and wind projects.

Although the ambitious 2022 goal will not be reached, India remains a frontrunner in renewable energy, and has shown time and time again that it values its environment and is working hard to preserve it.