India: 25 GW Total PV Capacity End of 2018

• India's MNRE has released latest figures of renewable energy deployment in the country till December 2018 with cumulative solar power capacity being over 25.21 GW
• As against 11 GW of total solar target for FY 2018-19 for both ground mounted and rooftop solar segments, it added 3.27 GW and 290.49 MW, respectively between April 2018 to December 2018
• Karnataka leads among states with largest amount of solar power capacity installed with over 5 GW

Official government statistics in India reveal that by December 31, 2018, total grid-connected solar power capacity of the country reached 25.21 GW, comprising 23.85 GW of ground mounted and 1.35 GW rooftop solar.

For financial year 2018-19, which runs from April 2018 to March 2019, India has a target of achieving 10 GW of ground mounted and 1 GW of rooftop solar installations. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in India says the country added 3.27 GW of ground mounted and 290.49 MW of rooftop solar capacity between April 2018 and December 2018, a total of 3.56 GW. That means, according to MNRE, until December 2018, India achieved over 32% of its 11 GW FY2018-19 target.

In comparison, FY 2017-18 was a record year for new PV additions as India reported 9.36 GW of installations growing over 69% YoY (see India Touches 21.6 GW Cumulative PV Capacity).

Among the top 5 states with the largest amount of solar power capacity installed, Karnataka leads with 5.1 GW, followed by Telangana with 3.36 GW, Rajasthan with 3.038 GW, Andhra Pradesh with 2.59 GW and Tamil Nadu with 2.098 GW.

In all, total renewable energy capacity of the country till December 2018 was 74.78 GW, as only 5 GW came online between April 2018 and December 2018 from the 15.6 GW targeted for the FY 2018-19.

Clean energy consultancy Bridge To India expects utility scale installations to cross 10 GW mark for the first time in 2019 with up to 5 GW of floating solar power tenders, which may help the country achieve its annual target.