India’s cumulative installed solar capacity, including total rooftop solar installations, exceeded 69 GW as of September 2023. The country’s utility-scale solar development pipeline stood at nearly 77 GW, and over 68 GW of projects tendered were pending auction at the end of Q3 2023

India has reported a 47 per cent decrease in solar installations, amounting to 5.6 GW during January to September 2023, due to delays in project execution, according to research firm Mercom India

Solar installations also experienced a downturn in the July-September quarter this year, recording 1.9 GW, a 34 per cent decline compared to the 2.8 GW solar capacity installed in the same period the previous year, the research firm noted.
However, on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, installations increased by almost 6 per cent, compared to 1.8 GW in Q2 2023.
The Mercom India Solar Market Update report stated, “During the first nine months of 2023, 5.6 GW of solar was installed in India. Solar capacity additions fell nearly 47 per cent compared to 10.5 GW installed in 9M 2022.”
Utility-scale installations saw a year-over-year (YoY) drop of more than 54 per cent, totaling 4.2 GW. The extensions granted to several large-scale solar and hybrid power projects, coupled with delays due to land and transmission issues, primarily affected installations in January to September 2023.
The oversupply of modules in China further reduced the average selling prices of solar modules, which have fallen consecutively over the last four quarters.
Challenges in securing transmission connectivity increased further with changes in project timelines. During Q3, project developers lacked clarity on application procedures under amended regulations for long-term access to transmission networks. However, clarifications issued by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) towards the end of the quarter are expected to ease the process in the coming quarters.
India’s cumulative installed solar capacity, including total rooftop solar installations, exceeded 69 GW as of September 2023. The country’s utility-scale solar development pipeline stood at nearly 77 GW, and over 68 GW of projects tendered were pending auction at the end of Q3 2023.
Rajasthan remained the leading state for cumulative large-scale solar installations, adding nearly 17 GW at the end of Q3 2023, accounting for over 28 per cent. Karnataka and Gujarat followed with almost 16 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.

(Inputs from PTI)