From January to September this year, India added 1.9 GW of open solar power, an increase of 96% year-on-year.
Indian research firm Mercom India has released a new report stating that 1.9 GW of open solar (PV capacity supported by private contracts) was installed in India between January and September this year, which represents a 96% increase on the 956 MW installed in the same period in 2021.
In December 2021, the country's cumulative 'open' solar capacity exceeded 7 GW, of which Karnataka accounted for around 2.7 GW, or 38%. Maharashtra has the second highest installed capacity of 801 MW of open solar power, accounting for about 11% of the total capacity.
The report points out that high tariffs, timely approvals by distribution companies and a favourable regulatory framework are the key drivers of open solar capacity growth in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
In the third quarter of 2022, India added 596 MW of installed open solar capacity, compared to 312 MW in the third quarter of 2021. more than 5 GW of open PV projects were in the pipeline (in the development and pre-construction stages) as of 30 September.
Priya Sanjay, Managing Director of Mercom India, said: "The corporate demand for open access solar is phenomenal. Without supply constraints and price increases, the growth rate would have been even faster. There are more projects coming on stream than ever before, and on a larger scale. While the demand is mainly from large corporates, there is a general lack of awareness among SMEs and MSMEs, so there is a huge potential for development."