India adds 1.2 GW open access solar capacity in 2021: Mercom India

India's solar open access installations witnessed a sharp growth during 2021 with the country adding 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of open access solar capacity during the year, according to Mercom India.

The country had installed 383 megawatt (MW) of open access solar capacity in 2020, the research firm said.

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.

As of December 2021, the cumulative installed solar capacity in the open access market was over 5 GW, the report titled 'Mercom India Solar Open Access Market Report Annual 2021' said.

According to the report, Uttar Pradesh topped in installation of open access solar capacities in 2021, followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The top five states made up for 80 per cent of the total installations during the year.

"Mitigating carbon footprint, reducing the cost of power, renewable power purchase obligations, and RE100 initiatives, the list of reasons for commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers to go green is piling up.

"The demand for open access solar is growing, it is reflected in the robust pipeline of projects," said Priya Sanjay, Managing Director at Mercom India.

A subsidiary of US-based Mercom Capital Group, Mercom Communications India is a clean energy research and communications firm with expertise in cleantech markets.