IREDA CMD backs decentralised path for India’s renewable expansion

Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), highlighted India’s renewable momentum at the “Sustainable is Attainable Fest 2025” session.

India’s renewable energy capacity has surged to 247 GW as of September 2025, with 27 GW added in the first half of FY26—approaching the record 29.6 GW added in all of FY25, Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Director of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) said. Highlighting the pace needed to achieve the nation’s 485 GW target by 2030, Das noted that annual additions must rise to 50–60 GW. He made these remarks as a panellist at the session “From Policy to Power: How Decentralisation is Putting Change in People’s Hands” during the ‘Sustainable is Attainable Fest 2025’ at the Taj Palace, New Delhi.

During the session, Das emphasised renewables—solar,wind, hydro, and bioenergy—are not just power sources but solutions for sustainability. Every unit of clean energy avoids nearly 750 grams of carbon, preserving our environment for generations.

Speaking on IREDA’s role, he stated that the future of clean energy lies in large solar parks and in millions of decentralised systems owned by farmers, cooperatives, MSMEs, and housing societies – citizens who are both producers and consumers, or ‘prosumers’, of energy.”

He added that IREDA’s Retail Business Division, through its financing of decentralised projects under PM-KUSUM and Rooftop Solar, has demonstrated that green lending at the grassroots is viable and impactful.

He further noted that India’s financial ecosystem—spanning cooperative, rural, and commercial banks—has now matured, with mainstream institutions increasingly confident to participate in renewable and retail clean-energy financing.

Das concluded, “With 38 years of experience, strong governance, and a record of responsible growth, IREDA continues to lead India’s energy transition—from large-scale renewables to empowering citizens through community-driven, sustainable energy solutions.