Archive · 11 Sep 2026
BRICS Clean Energy Hub Needs Resilient Grids, Storage And Finance
Pralhad Joshi said BRICS countries are becoming major leaders in clean energy.
He said most new electricity capacity built around the world last year came from renewable sources.
Solar power made up most of that new renewable capacity.
India has reached 164 gigawatts of solar power.
More than half of India’s installed electricity capacity now comes from non-fossil sources.
Joshi said building more solar panels is not enough by itself.
Countries also need batteries, smarter power networks and stronger connections between regions.
He said poorer and developing countries need better financing to build clean-energy projects.
The International Solar Alliance could help countries work together on these challenges.
Renewables made up 80% of global new generation capacity added last year, with solar accounting for 80% of renewable additions.
BRICS countries built 80% of the new solar capacity added globally, according to Pralhad Joshi.
India now has 164 GW of solar capacity, while non-fossil sources exceeded half its installed electricity capacity in June 2025.
Joshi said the next phase requires digitalisation, storage, resilience, interconnection, local manufacturing and finance.
Developing and emerging economies received less than 15% of global clean-energy investment in 2025, creating a major financing challenge.
- Who
- Pralhad Joshi, India’s Minister for New and Renewable Energy and President of the International Solar Alliance Assembly, discussed the clean-energy transition.
- What
- Joshi said BRICS can help lead the next phase of clean energy, focused on resilient grids, storage, digitalisation, manufacturing and finance.
- When
- The remarks and related posts were published on September 10 and 11, 2026; the figures cited include developments through 2025 and August 2026.
- Where
- The discussion concerns BRICS countries, India and clean-energy development across the Global South.
- Why
- Joshi said expanding generation capacity alone is insufficient and that clean energy needs reliable grids, storage, investment and cooperation.
Capacity Expansion First
System Resilience First
Next clean-energy priority
Capacity Expansion First
Rapidly adding solar and other renewable generation is central to expanding clean-energy access and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
System Resilience First
Joshi argued that adding capacity alone is not enough; storage, digital grids, resilience and interconnection must develop alongside generation.
Financing approach
Capacity Expansion First
Private capital can help expand clean-energy investment when projects are scaled across BRICS and the Global South.
System Resilience First
Developing and emerging economies face limited investment and higher project costs, requiring tools such as first-loss support, junior equity and local-currency risk mitigation.
- Global renewable additions
- Renewables accounted for 80% of new generation capacity added globally last year.
- Solar share
- Solar represented 80% of new renewable capacity added globally.
- BRICS solar contribution
- BRICS countries built 80% of new solar capacity added globally, according to Joshi.
- India solar capacity
- India has 164 GW of solar capacity.
- India non-fossil capacity
- Non-fossil sources exceeded 50% of India’s installed electricity capacity in June 2025.
- Battery additions
- The world added 108 GW of batteries last year, including 20.5 GW behind the meter.
- Clean-energy finance
- Developing and emerging economies received less than 15% of global clean-energy investment in 2025.
- BRICS scale
- BRICS countries account for 49.5% of the global population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of world trade.