India installs 3.8 GW solar open-access capacity in Jan-June: Report

New Delhi, Sep 10
India added 3.8 gigawatts (GW) of solar open access capacity in the first half of 2025, and 2.7 GW in the second quarter alone, a new report has said.

Maharashtra topped solar open access capacity additions in Q2 2025, contributing over 30 per cent of total installations, according to a report from Mercom.

The report indicated that the installations in H1 2024 were skewed towards the upside as open access developers expedited project commissioning before the reimposition of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. In H1 2025, project execution faced a slight decline.

Installations, however, rebounded in Q2 2025 as developers rushed to commission projects before the ISTS charges waiver deadline in June, with many opting for partial commissioning to ensure eligibility for the waiver.

As of June 2025, the cumulative solar open access capacity in the country had reached 24.6 GW. Karnataka led in cumulative solar open access installations, holding about 24 per cent of the total capacity by the end of Q2 2025. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu followed with 18 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, as of June 2025.

Solar open access projects in the pipeline under development and pre-construction stage exceeded 31 GW as of June 2025.

Further, in the first half of 2025, India added 2.8 GW of rooftop solar capacity, up 158 per cent from 1.1 GW in H1 2024. The country added 1.6 GW of rooftop solar capacity in Q2 2025, a 33 per cent increase from Q1 2025 and a 121 per cent increase from Q2 2024.

The growth in rooftop solar installations during the first half was driven by the clearance of delayed registrations, the commissioning of new systems, and enhancements to the PM Surya Ghar portal, the report said.

In Q2 2025, rooftop solar additions were led by the residential segment contributing over 74 per cent of the total installations, followed by the industrial segment at over 19 per cent.

As of June 2025, the country had a cumulative installed rooftop capacity of 16.5 GW with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh ranked at the top of the chart.