India has added 4.765 MW of solar power generation in the first half of 2017, surpassing the 4,313 MW installed during 2016.
Of this, 1,869 MW was added in the second quarter of 2017, according to Mercom India Research. While large-scale solar installations aggregated to 1,639 MW in Q2 2017, rooftop installations accounted for 230 MW.
In the first half of 2017, large-scale solar installations made up 4,290 MW (90 per cent) and rooftop installations totalled 475 MW (10 per cent) of the total.
Cumulative solar rooftop installations crossed a significant milestone of 1 GW at the end of Q2 2017.
“The Indian solar market has had its best first-half and is on pace to have its best year,” Raj Prabhu, CEO and Co-founder, Mercom Capital Group, said.
“However, uncertainty around GST rates, utilities renegotiating to get better rates, and the recently initiated anti-dumping case has stalled momentum in the sector and could have a significant negative effect on installations in 2018,” he said in a statement.
Significantly, Andhra Pradesh became the first state to install over 2 GW of solar. Currently, seven states have exceeded 1 GW of solar installations.
The pipeline of utility-scale projects under construction is 12.2 GW, with about 6.3 GW of tenders pending to be auctioned.
Approximately 3.4 GW of solar was tendered in Q2 2017, compared to 1.85 GW in Q1 this year. Besides, 2.5 GW of solar projects were auctioned in Q2 2017, compared to 1.3 GW in Q1 2017.
The second quarter also saw the lowest ever tariff of ₹2.44 (~$0.037)/kWh in the recently conducted 500 MW Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park auction.
While DISCOMs are looking for the lowest tariff, the anti-dumping petition filed by domestic manufacturers against solar imports from China, Taiwan, and Malaysia with the Directorate-General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD) has been accepted. DGAD has initiated the investigation, with the possibility of preliminary findings in two months.
If the anti-dumping tariff is imposed, Mercom’s forecast will be revised downwards, depending on the final tariff levels.
