Solar power at 4,000 Mw, Rajasthan in the lead

UP, Punjab and Telangana also join solar bandwagon

India’s solar installed capacity has crossed the 4,000 Mw mark. With close to 1.128 Mw of projects, Rajasthan has taken the lead ahead of all other states. It has elbowed out Gujarat, which has 957 Mw of solar power projects, from the top-slot for the first time. Following closely behind are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Apart from the regular solar power-rich states, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and newly formed Telangana have now joined the solar bandwagon.

 By December, an additional 1.7 Gw is likely to be added, said a study by Bridge to India, a leading consultancy firm monitoring foreign investment in Indian renewable energy space. The report said, with 2.7 Gw of expected capacity addition in 2015, India might surpass Germany and secure a position in the global top five, for new-yearly capacity addition.

“Solar fundamentals are so compelling in India that the sector is bound to grow dramatically, with India likely to become one of the largest solar markets in the world, in the next three years. India is already, on track to add more solar capacity than Germany in 2015 and enter the top five solar markets globally,” said Jasmeet Khurana, senior manager-consulting at Bridge to India.

However, some experts feel that 4,000 Mw is a minuscule achievement, given that the country needs to add around 15,000 Mw every year to meet the targetted 100,000 Mw by 2022. "The capacity additions in the immediate future might be slightly subdued. All new tenders for the next round of capacity additions are delayed. With timelines of 13 months after the bids are declared, this could mean that the next substantial capacity addition will happen towards the end of 2016,” said Sunil Jain, chief executive officer and executive director, Hero Future Energies.

He added some parts of the supply chain need urgent upgradation to meet the increased and challenging requirements like structures and inverters. Also, transmission network would need to be ramped up if the government is planning evacuation of such high power.

State	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Rajasthan	301.15	666.7	1128
Gujarat	824.09	860.4	953
Madhya Pradesh	11.75	130	637
Maharahtra	75.5	150	354
Punjab	NA	9.3	239
Andhra Pradesh	76.95	92.9	228
Tamil nadu	19.11	31.8	164
Karnataka	79	31	104
Telangana	NA	NA	83
Uttar Pradesh	NA	NA	73
Total Installed Capacity	1387.55	2208*	4000*

*Minor installations in other states also added in final total            

Source: Ministry of new and renewable energy