- India recorded close to 2 GW of new PV capacity commissioned from April to October 2016
- A total of 11,068 MW is expected by the Indian government to be grid-connected by March 2017
- Southern states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh expected to be among states with highest capacities to be commissioned this fiscal year
India commissioned 1,965 MW of PV capacity from April 2016 to October 2016, according to Mercom Capital Group, a clean energy and research firm. This is an increase of over 137% from the same period last year (April 2015 to October 2015) when 828 MW was added to the Indian grid.
This shows the fast pace of activity in the solar PV space in the country. The government is targeting installations of 12 GW in the current fiscal year, and Mercom says the administration is expecting a total of 11,068 MW of solar to be commissioned in the period including state policies and projects announced by the NTPC and SECI. This includes rooftop PV capacity.
Out of the 11 GW of grid-connected PV, Karnataka is expected to commission the largest capacity (1,950 MW), followed by Telangana (1,900 MW) Andhra Pradesh (1,395 MW), and Rajasthan (910 MW).
The Indian government expects that Karnataka will be the state with the highest newly commissioned solar capacity in the current financial year, which will end in March 2017, according to Mercom.
The total rooftop capacity expected to be commissioned in the current fiscal year is 1,000 MW, according to Mercom estimates. As per another clean energy consultancy Bridge to India (BTI), India’s rooftop PV capacity installed stood at 1,020 MW as of September 2016 (see India Crosses 1 GW PV Rooftop Capacity).
The government is banking on 9,700 MW of power purchase agreements signed, which it expects to help it achieve its 12 GW target.
While Mercom says that India has reached a cumulative installed PV capacity of 8,728 MW as of October 2016, at Intersolar India on October 19, 2016, Bridge to India had announced a YTD installed capacity of 9.4 GW for the subcontinent .
