New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) In the July-September quarter last year, 307 MW of solar power capacity was installed in the country by way of open access power purchase facility for large customers. This is 85 percent more than the installed capacity in this category in the corresponding period of 2020. Mercom India Research, a research company providing information about renewable energy, has said this in a report.
In the corresponding period of the year 2020, a capacity of 166 MW was installed.
Mercom India’s study titled ‘India Solar Open Access Market Report’ states that 935 MW of solar power capacity was installed in the ‘open access’ category during January-September 2021. This year, installed solar power capacity in this category is 143 percent higher than 385 MW in the corresponding period of 2020.
According to the report, about 1,100 MW of solar power projects under ‘open access’ are in various stages of implementation.
Under this the scope of the market has increased and two new markets Uttarakhand and Punjab have joined it. The highest capacity of 35 percent was installed in Uttar Pradesh in the quarter under review.
According to the report, the share of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka stood at 11 per cent, 10 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, in the quarter under review.
Mercom India Research said, “In view of the power crisis due to shortage of coal in the third quarter of 2021, commercial and industrial units preferred the option of buying power from other sources.”
According to the report, “There were power cuts in many states. Thus, ‘open access’ solar projects emerged as an attractive option due to low cost and green power.
As on September 2021, the cumulative installed solar capacity in the ‘open access’ category in the country was 4,800 MW.
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