Stable and clean energy is highly significant for India’s development and for environmental conservation. The Electricity Act, 2003 initiated a regulation known as the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), which requires specified entities to procure a minimum share of electricity from renewable sources. This paper examines state-wise RPO targets and performance using the compliance data provided by NITI Aayog for 2018–2021. The findings indicate large disparities in performance: close to half of the states achieved less than 40 percent of the required renewable purchases. Some southern states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh meet or even exceed their objectives, while many states in the East and North continue to lag. A persistent gap is also evident between solar and non-solar targets. States are fulfilling their non-solar targets (on average) at approximately 83 percent, yet their solar targets (on average) at slightly less than 41 percent. The analysis of time trends and clustering indicates changing trajectories, weak enforcement, and policy impediments that restrain RPO success. The paper also links compliance levels to renewable adoption and provides practical measures to strengthen monitoring and accelerate solar integration. These insights support more effective RPO implementation and contribute to India’s renewable energy transition.