India adds 1.2 GW of new solar open access capacity in 2021

NEW DELHI:  India added 1.2 GW of new solar open access capacity in 2021, marking a growth of 222% year-over-year (YoY), according to a Mercom India report.  The cumulative installed solar capacity in the open access market crossed 5 GW. The country added 298 MW of new solar open access capacity in the fourth quarter (Q4) of calendar year 2021, a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2020.

“Mitigating carbon footprint, reducing the cost of power, renewable power purchase obligations, and RE100 initiatives, the list of reasons for C&I consumers to go green is piling up. The demand for open access solar is growing, reflected in the robust pipeline of projects,” said Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India.

Solar power through Open Access is an arrangement where a power producer establishes a solar power plant and signs a medium/long-term power purchase agreement with a consumer. The top five states with the highest QoQ growth are Telangana (329%), Karnataka (102%), Andhra Pradesh (88%), Maharashtra (52%), and Uttar Pradesh (4%).

The country added 298 MW of new solar open access capacity in the fourth quarter (Q4) of CY 2021, a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2020. The top five states with the highest QoQ growth are Telangana (329%), Karnataka (102%), Andhra Pradesh (88%), Maharashtra (52%), and Uttar Pradesh (4%).

The report mentioned that the development pipeline of solar open access projects stood at 1.5 GW at the end of 2021. Of the pipeline, 75% is spread across the three states~ Karnataka, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

-NIE