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Solar open access installations in India in the first half of 2021 totalled about 628 MW compared to 47 MW in the same period last year when projects were hit by the Covid pandemic outbreak, according to Mercom India Research report.
Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of installations in the solar open access segment, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
The cumulative solar installations in the open access market have now surpassed 4.5 GW as of June 2021, and there is a pipeline of over 1 GW under development and pre-construction.
Regulatory issues
As of June 30, Karnataka is the largest market for solar open access cumulatively, followed by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The top five States account for approximately 73 per cent of India’s total solar open access market.
Regulatory inconsistencies and policy U-turns have been the major roadblocks in the expansion of solar open access projects. States also have been levying new charges or increasing the existing ones to ensure they do not lose out on their high tariff paying consumers.
‘Relief for Discoms’
Priya Sanjay, Managing Director of Mercom India, in a statement said, “The power demand from commercial and industrial entities is growing, and eventually, the States will have to invest in new power generation. Open access will not only generate revenue without Discoms investing but bring in investments from around the world.”
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