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हिन्दी — Read in HindiWind, hydro and other renewables
Wind, hydro and the other renewables: onshore and offshore wind, large and small hydropower and the risks of building in the Himalaya, geothermal energy, and energy from tides, waves and ocean heat. It serves GS3 answers on energy and infrastructure.
Geothermal energy and Puga Valley
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Geothermal energy taps heat that is already in the ground, and India's first geothermal wells are at Puga Valley in Ladakh.
- Because the heat must first be found, a well is an exploration job before it is a power project.
- The wells were drilled by the ONGC Energy Centre of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
- They are assessment wells: they will evaluate the reservoir for India's first 1 MW demonstration geothermal power project.
- Unlike solar and wind, geothermal power is available round the clock.
Heat
Radioactive decay of uranium, thorium and potassium, and heat left from the Earth's formation
Reservoir
Where faults let hot material rise, hot water and steam collect in permeable rock
Power
Wells bring it up to drive a turbine, with no fuel burnt
What changed
4 Sep 2026
- The ONGC Energy Centre commissioned India's first two geothermal wells at Puga Valley in Ladakh, drilled in July 2026.
- The National Policy on Geothermal Energy has the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as its nodal ministry.
- It covers exploration, direct use, ground source heat pumps and the repurposing of abandoned oil and gas wells.
Wind energy in India
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Wind energy in India is the power drawn from India's installed wind capacity, in which India ranked fourth in the world at the end of 2025.
- Gujarat leads the States.
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's targets are 100 GW by 2030 and 155 GW by 2035.
What changed
22 Jul 2026BriefGeneration rose in 2025 to 26, after two years at the same level. PIB, 22 Jul 2026: India’s Installed Wind Power Capacity Reaches 57,443 MW as on June 30, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Background reading: PIB, 12 Jun 2026: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to Host Global Wind Day 2026 Conference in Goa to Boost Wind Energy Growth (opens in a new tab)
Hydropower
India is building small run of river hydropower, which needs no reservoir behind it, while the large projects in the Himalaya are argued over for where they sit rather than for what they generate.
Small hydro power
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Small hydro in India means a project of up to 25 MW, usually run of river, using a stream's natural fall rather than a large reservoir.
- The scheme builds no plant: it pays States to prepare Detailed Project Reports, so the pipeline exists before the money does.
What changed
9 Jun 2026BriefThe Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released guidelines for the scheme for 2026 to 2031, targeting about 1,500 MW, with the Solar Energy Corporation of India as implementing agency. India's small hydro potential is about 21 GW, of which only a fraction is harnessed. PIB, 9 Jun 2026: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Organizes National Workshop on Small Hydro Power Development Scheme (opens in a new tab)
Background reading: PIB, 10 Sep 2026: Small Hydro Power has a distinctive role in India's clean energy transition: Shri Shripad Yesso Naik (opens in a new tab)
Also filed elsewhere
- Hydropower in the Himalaya · on EIA, clearances and pollution control law
Hydropower in the Himalaya means dams and power projects built on the rivers of a young, steep and seismically active range.
- Pumped storage · on Storage, batteries and electric mobility
A pumped storage project pumps water uphill when power is cheap and releases it through turbines when demand peaks, so it stores energy rather than generating it.