• Cumulative installed solar power capacity of India as of September 2018 reached 26 GW, according to Mercom India Research
  • Solar PV accounted for 7.46% of the total installed power capacity of the country that stood at 348.73 GW at the end of September 2018
  • Renewable energy accounted for 21.41% or 74.66 GW of the total installed power capacity of India
  • Coal still claims the lion’s share in the total energy mix

The cumulative installed solar power capacity of India at the end of September 2018 was 26 GW of which 1.5 GW was deployed in Q3/2018. With this solar accounts for 7.46% of the country’s total installed power capacity, increasing from 7.03% as on June 30, 2018, said Mercom India Research.

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, as of July 31, 2018, India’s grid-connected ground mounted solar power capacity was 21.89 GW while 1.22 GW were rooftop solar installations, which adds up to a total of 23.11 GW.

Mercom has collated the data from its own India Solar Project Tracker and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Overall, India’s total installed power capacity at the end of September 2018 reached 348.73 GW, with renewables contributing 74.66 GW or 21.41%. Renewables increased their share by 1,927 MW from June 30, 2018.

Wind is still the largest contributor among renewables (not including large hydro); its share in the country’s total installed capacity grew to 9.93%, while hydro power comprised some 13.04%. Small hydro (up to 25 MW) accounted for 1.29% of the total, nuclear power claimed 1.94%.

Coal still dominates the Indian power sector, accounting for 56.23% of total capacity end of September, but its share slightly declined from 56.66% at the end of June 2018.

“Installation trends clearly show India’s move towards renewable energy. Coal remains the major source of the country’s power production but the share in India’s total installed power capacity has been consistently decreasing paving way for renewables,” said Mercom.