New Delhi, September 5 – India added 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of solar open access capacity in the first half of 2024, marking a significant 153% increase compared to the 1.4 GW installed during the same period in 2023, according to a report by Mercom India.
The capacity added in the first half of this year exceeded the total annual installations of all previous years. In the second quarter (Q2) of 2024 alone, nearly 1.8 GW of solar open access capacity was installed, a 152% year-over-year jump compared to the 712.8 megawatts (MW) added in Q2 2023.
Adani Green led the market in the Green Day-Ahead Market (G-DAM), accounting for over 29% of electricity sold. As of June, the pipeline for solar open access projects stood at nearly 23 GW, highlighting the increasing demand from industrial and commercial sectors.
“The demand for open access solar from industries and commercial units has been consistently rising. However, challenges such as transmission infrastructure constraints, supply chain issues due to ALMM (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers), and inconsistent state regulations are preventing the open access market from realizing its full potential,” said Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India.
Sanjay also noted that developers are turning to wind-solar hybrid power projects to make better use of existing evacuation infrastructure, with more states now issuing regulations for green energy open access.
Karnataka led the way in solar open access capacity additions in Q2 2024, accounting for over 40% of the installations. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu ranked second and third, contributing nearly 14% and 11% of cumulative installations in the first half of 2024, respectively. The top five states accounted for over 85% of installations during this period.
Cumulative installed solar open access capacity in India reached 16.3 GW as of June 2024, according to the report.
