Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday, 29 May 2026, celebrated a landmark milestone in India's clean energy journey, stating that the country has become the world's second-largest solar power market with an installed capacity exceeding 155 GW. The Chief Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for driving India's renewable energy transformation.

Posting in Hindi on X, CM Choudhary wrote: 'ऊर्जा क्षेत्र में आत्मनिर्भर भारत की ओर देश ने एक और ऐतिहासिक उपलब्धि हासिल की है' ['Towards an energy self-reliant India, the country has achieved yet another historic milestone']. He described India's rise to become the world's second-largest solar market as a 'powerful symbol of a developed, self-reliant, and green India's bright future.'

Context

India's solar energy programme traces its origins to the National Solar Mission, launched in 2010 with an initial target of 20 GW by 2022 — a target later revised upward to 100 GW as the country's ambitions grew. The pace of capacity additions accelerated significantly through competitive tariff auctions, state-level procurement programmes, and manufacturing incentives under Production-Linked Incentive schemes. India is now the world's third-largest energy consumer and has consistently worked to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels.

At the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, India committed to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, a pledge that placed solar expansion at the centre of national energy planning. The International Solar Alliance, co-launched by India in 2015, further cemented the country's role as a global advocate for solar deployment across developing nations.

Policy Backdrop

The PM-KUSUM scheme, introduced in 2019, extended solar benefits to farmers by promoting decentralised solar installations for agricultural use, broadening the programme's reach beyond large utility-scale projects. Central and state governments have worked in tandem through competitive auctions to drive down tariffs, making solar power among the cheapest electricity sources in the country. These policy levers collectively underpin the capacity surge that CM Choudhary highlighted in his post.

India's solar growth also supports its broader Paris Agreement obligations, positioning the country as a responsible actor in global climate diplomacy. The achievement places India alongside China — the world's largest solar market — in global rankings, a shift that reflects both the scale of domestic ambition and the effectiveness of sustained policy continuity since 2014.

Stakeholders and Impact

The milestone carries direct implications for solar developers, state power utilities, and rural households across India. Expanded capacity means greater grid availability, lower average power purchase costs for utilities, and improved electricity access in states that have historically faced supply deficits — including Bihar. For the agricultural sector, decentralised solar through schemes like PM-KUSUM reduces dependence on diesel pumps and erratic grid supply.

For Bihar specifically, state-level solar tenders and grid integration remain active areas of policy focus. The Chief Minister's public endorsement of the national milestone signals alignment between state and central priorities on clean energy, and may precede announcements on Bihar-specific renewable projects.

What's Next

With the 2030 deadline for India's 500 GW non-fossil fuel target approaching, attention will turn to whether the pace of capacity additions can be sustained — particularly as grid integration, storage infrastructure, and inter-state transmission remain logistical challenges. Parliamentary discussion on revised renewable targets and state-level auction pipelines are expected to intensify in the coming months. Bihar's own solar project tenders will be a key indicator of how national ambition translates into ground-level execution in one of India's most populous states.