After robust digital infra, India taking big strides in renewable energy: N Chandrasekaran

After creating a world-class digital public infrastructure (DPI), India is taking giant strides in renewable energy which is another global transition sector, Tata Group Chairperson N. Chandrasekaran has stressed.

The country reached 214 GW installed green energy capacity in 2024 and is firmly on track to meet its ambitious target of achieving 500 GW energy capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2030.

Addressing the NIT Trichy’s 'Global Alumni Meet (GAM) 2025' in Chennai, Chandrasekaran said our renewable-based electricity has reached 45 per cent, which was around 30 per cent last decade.

“The reason it is not enough is because if you have to achieve the 1.5 degree target that was set in Paris, the global carbon emission has to reduce by 43 per cent this decade. Instead, between 2019 and 2024, we have gone in the other direction, it has increased by 3.3 per cent,” he told the gathering.

In a significant feat for the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the scheme has achieved more than 6.85 lakh installations and is set to surpass a decade's solar growth in about a year. Since its launch in February this year, the scheme with 685,763 installations has already reached 86 per cent of what was installed in a decade before that.

According to Tata Group Chairperson, the digital infrastructure created in this country is ahead of anything that has happened anywhere else.

“We have some phenomenal digital systems, whether it is our payment system, Aadhaar, healthcare, settlement systems, and retail banking systems. We have some of the finest digital systems. We have the talent too,” he noted.

Chandrasekaran further stated that despite a moderation in growth this year, India will continue to be the fastest-growing economy in the world.

“Indian economy is very strong. Even with a moderation in growth this year, we will still continue to be growing better than any other country. We will be the fastest growing,” he emphasised.

2025 is going to be a ‘phenomenal year for AI’, with huge investments expected to happen in small language models (SLMs) during the year, while large language models (LLMs) will also be playing its role, Chandrasekaran said.