Solar open access installations in India jumped 85 per cent to 307 megawatt (MW) in October-December period of 2021, Mercom India Research said in a report.
The installations stood at 166 MW during the same quarter in 2020, the research firm said in its report titled "India Solar Open Access Market Report Q3 2021" on Tuesday.
According to the report, the country installed 935 MW of open access solar capacity during April-December 2021, registering a rise of 143 per cent compared to 385 MW installed during the same nine- month period of 2020.
The pipeline of solar open access projects under development and pre-construction is estimated to be over 1.1 GW (gigawatt), the report added.
It has also expanded coverage to include two new markets, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Uttar Pradesh had the most installations, constituting about 35 per cent of the projects installed during the quarter.
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka accounted for 11 per cent, 10 per cent, and 7 per cent of the installations, respectively during the quarter.
"The power crisis triggered by the depleting coal stocks in thermal power plants in Q3 2021 was a major wake-up call for the C&I (commercial and industrial) segment to opt for alternative sources of power procurement.
"Several states experienced power cuts to varying degrees, during which solar open access was the most attractive option due to the lower cost and green power," Mercom India Research said.
As of September 2021, the cumulative installed solar capacity in the open access market was 4.8 GW.
Mercom Communications India, a subsidiary of US-based Mercom Capital Group, is a clean energy research and communications firm headquartered in Bengaluru.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU