The Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development (GSDP) marked a key milestone with the tenth edition of its Conversation Series, held in collaboration with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) under the theme “Energy Security through Renewable Energies.”
The high-level dialogue brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, think tanks, private sector representatives, and energy experts to sharpen focus on one pressing question: how India can accelerate its renewable energy transition while insulating its economy from fossil-fuel-driven price shocks.
In his opening remarks, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann struck a clear note on the stakes involved, saying, ‘Renewable energy is no longer just a climate imperative but also an economic and strategic necessity. India and Germany share a common challenge of reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and increasing energy independence.
"Renewables create a powerful 'trinity' of climate action, economic opportunity, and energy security. India has made significant progress in renewable energy deployment, with renewable sources now contributing around 26% of electricity generation.
"The GSDP partnership is particularly significant as India and Germany mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. India and Germany are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations. The longstanding bilateral development cooperation has evolved into a partnership addressing climate action and sustainable development for resilient economic growth."
The two countries are now deepening cooperation across a wide green agenda, including renewable energy deployment and manufacturing, battery storage, grid integration, energy efficiency, decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors, green urban mobility, biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable urban development, and vocational education.
From the Indian side, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi set out the country’s energy priorities and the growing urgency of global collaboration.
He said, ‘The recent crisis in West Asia has once again highlighted the critical importance of energy security. Renewable energy, including solar, wind, battery energy storage systems and green hydrogen - has immense potential to strengthen energy security while supporting sustainable development.
"India has made significant progress, with non-fossil fuel sources now accounting for approximately 54 percent of the country's installed electricity capacity, and we remain firmly committed to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. As trusted partners in the global energy transition, India and Germany can continue to work together to drive innovation, mobilise investment, and advance our shared goals of energy security, sustainable development and climate action."
India has set an ambitious roadmap: 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2070. Solar, wind, and energy storage are expected to anchor this transition, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels while reshaping the country’s long-term energy mix.
With India’s rapid economic expansion driving soaring energy demand, energy security has emerged as a central pillar of national development strategy. Reliable and affordable power remains essential to sustaining growth and achieving the vision of “Viksit Bharat” and the broader goal of a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047.
Across the discussion, participants stressed the need to scale renewable deployment, accelerate investment in storage and grid modernisation, and deepen public-private collaboration to strengthen resilience and unlock sustainable growth.
Renewable energy is increasingly positioned as the backbone of economy-wide decarbonisation.
But the next phase of India’s transition will demand more than generation capacity alone—requiring integrated progress across transmission, distribution, storage, financing, domestic manufacturing, decentralised energy solutions, and electrification of energy-intensive sectors.
As the NITI Aayog report Pathway to Net Zero (February 2026) warns, “The real risk to Net Zero implementation is whether the system can absorb, transmit, finance, and reliably use that cleaner power at scale.”
