India’s Solar Park Additions Trail Targets

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Over the last few years, solar power parks in India have made little progress, with the total installed capacity remaining stagnant at around 12,396 MW, according to data shared by Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik. The data also revealed that 31 solar power parks across 13 states are yet to be installed. Those numbers might be one of the key reasons the country failed to meet its 100 GW target by 2022, besides the huge miss on rooftop solar of course. the target was finally achieved early this year.

Stagnant Growth in Solar Parks

In a written reply before the Lok Sabha, the minister noted that compared to last year’s data provided by former Union Minister R.K. Singh—who stated that 50 solar parks, with a combined capacity of nearly 37.5 GW, had been sanctioned since 2014, with 10.2 GW established—the progress in installed capacity has been negligible.

Limited Progress Over the Years

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a program in December 2014 to develop at least 25 solar parks with a total capacity of 20,000 MW. By 2017, India had approved 34 solar parks with the same cumulative capacity, but many failed to progress beyond the planning stage. From land acquisition to local state backing to lack of interested developers, the parks have faced multiple odds.

The scheme for the “Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects” was rolled out by the MNRE on December 12, 2014. It was modeled after Gujarat’s Charanka Solar Park, India’s first large-scale solar park, which provided contiguous developed land and transmission connectivity.

Solar Parks Installed in 2023

A state-wise breakdown of solar park installations, shared by then Union Minister R.K. Singh, highlighted that western states like Rajasthan and Gujarat took the lead in hosting solar parks. Gujarat had the highest sanctioned capacity at 12,150 MW from seven state solar parks, followed by Rajasthan with 8,276 MW across nine solar parks. Other key states included Madhya Pradesh (4,680 MW), Uttar Pradesh (3,730 MW), and Karnataka (2,500 MW).

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Solar Parks Added in 2025

Over the past two years, Rajasthan expanded its solar parks, increasing its total share to 3,241 MW. However, this figure has remained unchanged compared to the previous year. Other states also saw minor progress, including Mizoram (20 MW project), Chhattisgarh (100 MW project), and Karnataka (2,000 MW project). Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh increased its total capacity from solar parks to 2,113 MW, up from eight projects.

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Is The Lack of Progress A Real Issue?

While the lack of progress makes for poor optics, the good news is that the country has gone well past the stage where these planned solar parks would have played a critical role. The sharp drop seen in solar costs since 2014 has ensured that private sector interest and initiative has been able to compensate for the government’s usual lethargy and red tape. Solar parks have a role now only in states where normal market interest is lower, due to multiple factors ranging from lack of large land parcels to local terrain, apathy and poor supporting infrastructure.  For now, it is mostly PSU energy firms that are still going the solar park way in some cases, especially in states where they have been asked to support development. Large private developers have declared targets that are not really contingent on their ability to be a part of or own solar parks. That is not a bad thing at all.