Open access solar capacity addition falls 3.6% to 712 MW in Apr-Jun: Report

The country recorded a 3.6% decline in new installations of open access solar capacity to 712 megawatt (MW) in the June quarter, according to a report by Mercom India

The country recorded a 3.6 per cent decline in new installations of open access solar capacity to 712 megawatt (MW) in the June quarter, according to a report by Mercom India.

India had added 739 MW of open access solar capacities in the year-ago period, the research firm said in its 'Q2 2023 Solar Open Access Market Report'.

However, on a quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis, the capacity addition was 24 per cent higher than the 577 MW in the January-March quarter, the report said.

Open access enables consumers with more than 100 kW sanctioned load to buy cheaper power from the open market.

In the January-June period, India added 1.3 GW of open access solar capacity, down almost 18 per cent compared to 1.6 GW installed in the year-ago period.

"In the period under review, the green energy open access regulation has been a major enabler for increased solar capacity addition under open access, even though lack of uniform rules in states was a challenge.

"Hybrid power projects with a combination of solar, wind, and even energy storage are proving to be sound investments for corporates," Mercom India Managing Director Priya Sanjay said.

As of June 2023, the country's cumulative installed open access solar capacity was 9.8 GW.

During the April-June period, Gujarat added the highest open access solar capacity accounting for over 46 per cent of the 712 MW addition, followed by Karnataka (21 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (10 per cent).

In the January-June period, Karnataka's contribution was the highest at 34 per cent, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, at 13 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.

"Climate change mitigation and decarbonisation goals are increasingly becoming key drivers for large corporations while procuring green power," Sanjay said.