Economy check: India aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. Is this feasible?

Net zero means balancing human-caused greenhouse-gas emissions with removals, so emissions no longer add to atmospheric warming overall. India has set 2070 as its net-zero target year. The goal matters because India’s energy system still depends heavily on coal, while its energy demand is expected to grow with economic development.

The pathway has two central parts. India must greatly expand cleaner electricity generation, especially solar and wind. It must also use that cleaner electricity in activities now powered directly by fossil fuels, particularly industrial production and transport.

The scale is substantial. Solar and wind capacity could reach 8,000 to 9,000 gigawatts by 2070, with more than three-fourths solar. At least 80% of road vehicles would need to become electric, while factories would require redesign, modification or replacement. Storage and stronger power-grid arrangements would also be important.

India’s energy use is large in absolute terms but low per person: per capita consumption is below 40% of the world average. In 2019, total primary energy supply excluding biomass was 734 million tons of oil equivalent. Just over half came from domestic production.

Final energy consumption was 410 Mtoe. Industry used the largest share, at 42%, followed by households and transport. The fuel mix differs by activity. Coal is heavily used for electricity generation and industrial production. Oil is most important for transport, while biomass is most important for residential heating and cooking.

The article does not give one combined percentage for fossil-fuel use. It does show deep dependence on coal and oil, alongside biomass. Electricity supplies only slightly more than one-quarter of final consumption, so replacing fossil fuels will require both cleaner power generation and electrification at the point of use.

India’s renewable expansion would need to be enormous. Solar and wind together had about 134 gigawatts of capacity in July 2024, equal to 29.95% of total electricity-generation capacity. Their estimated current potential is slightly above 1,000 GW, already suggesting substantial near-term room for growth.

For a 2070 net-zero pathway, solar and wind capacity could reach 8,000 to 9,000 GW. More than three-fourths would be solar, and solar could provide over 60% of electricity generation before 2070. This reflects rising electricity demand, economic growth, electrification and replacement of fossil fuels.

The implied long-term growth rates are about 10% annually for solar capacity and 6% for overall generation capacity. Recent solar and wind growth has been about 8%, however, and would need to continue for much longer. The challenge is therefore not only scale, but sustained implementation.

India’s transition would affect the whole energy system. Electricity generation must move sharply toward cleaner sources, especially solar and wind. Industry must switch from direct fossil-fuel use to electricity, while transport must replace most fossil-fuel road travel with electric vehicles and new rail infrastructure.

Factories may need to be redesigned, modified or replaced. Electric road transport requires network infrastructure, including charging stations and battery exchanges. At least 80% of road vehicles would need to be electric. Residential energy also matters because biomass currently dominates household heating and cooking, although the article gives fewer details about building changes.

The electricity shift must come first or happen alongside electrification. If factories and vehicles use power generated from coal, emissions reductions will be trivial. The transition also creates adjustment costs for coal-based generation and requires major investment in grids, storage, distribution systems and equipment at the point of use.

Solar and wind do not produce electricity at a constant rate. Their variable supply makes it harder to match generation with demand at every moment. As their share grows, India must ensure that electricity remains available when renewable output falls and that excess power can be handled when output is high.

The article identifies investment in storage capacity as a direct consequence. It also highlights the need to improve the design and quality of the electric power grid. These changes support a system with much more solar power, which could provide over 60% of generation before 2070.

The transition would affect existing coal-based generation capacity. Plants could face lower use or require adjustment, creating financial and political economy challenges. India also has existing efficiency and political economy problems in electricity distribution. Renewable expansion therefore involves not just building generators, but reorganising the wider power system.

A power system dominated by variable solar and wind needs ways to balance supply and demand. Storage can hold electricity when renewable output is high and make it available later. Grid design and quality also become more important as generation becomes more dependent on weather and time of day.

The article specifically identifies investment in storage and gives battery exchanges and charging stations as examples of new electric-transport infrastructure. It also points to needed improvements in India’s electric power sector, especially distribution, where efficiency and political economy problems already exist. These improvements would help electricity reach users reliably.

Transmission networks are not discussed in detail in the source, so their precise role or required scale is not stated there. Overall, the transition requires more than renewable generators. It requires storage, better grid arrangements, upgraded distribution and infrastructure for electric vehicles and other users.

Switching a factory, vehicle or building from direct fossil-fuel use to electricity changes where energy is supplied. It does not automatically make the energy clean. Emissions fall meaningfully only when the electricity comes mainly from low-emission sources rather than coal or other fossil fuels.

For example, an electric vehicle charged with coal-heavy electricity still depends indirectly on coal generation. Similarly, a factory converted to electric equipment may produce little climate benefit if the power system remains fossil-fuel intensive. Clean solar and wind generation are therefore essential to the electrification strategy.

This is why the article treats cleaner electricity and electrification as linked priorities. Electricity currently supplies just over one-quarter of India’s final consumption, so both generation capacity and point-of-use equipment must expand. Factories, transport networks and other users require major investment, while the grid must become cleaner and more capable.