India targeting 40% of power generation from non-fossil fuel by 2030: PM

India is targeting 40 per cent of electricity generation from non-fossil fuel-based resources by 2030 as it looks to tap vast solar and wind potential to replace reliance on polluting coal to meet its energy needs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday.

Modi said he saw the 121-country International Solar Alliance as the future OPEC for meeting energy needs of the world.

Oil cartel OPEC led by Saudi Arabia currently meets close to half of the world's oil needs.

Speaking at the first Assembly of the ISA here, he said the solar power will play the same role that oil wells have played over the past few decades in meeting global energy needs.

Humans have in the last 150-200 years relied on resources trapped below the earth's surface for meeting energy needs. But for a secure future, resources available above the ground like solar and wind energy need to be harnessed, he said.

Stating that the focus must be on renewable sources for meeting energy needs, he said India wants to bring all