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Featured in Curtailment creeps – 07-08 – 2026

India’s model solar villages

India’s installed solar capacity has surged from 7 GW in 2016 to more than 150 GW in 2026 – a more than twentyfold increase. Driven primarily by large-scale solar projects, this progress has transformed India’s electricity mix and shown its ability to deploy solar at scale and at competitive costs. The next phase of India’s solar journey may see increased deployment of distributed generation, bringing economic benefits to rural communities, according to Shantanu Roy of the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy.
Local residents take part in consultations for clean energy projects in Saderkoot Payeen village, Bandipora district, Jammu and Kashmir. | Photo: CSTEP

Distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems that generate electricity close to the point of consumption are gaining prominence in India. Increasingly, DREs are seen as a long-term driver of rural development, community empowerment, and economic resilience. India is already translating this vision into action in villages and rural regions across the country. More than 60% of …

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