Open access solar installations in India totaled 419 MW in the first quarter (Q1) of calendar year (CY) 2021. The cumulative solar installation in the open access market reached 4.3 GW as of March 2021, according to Mercom India Research’s India Open Access Solar Market Update Q1 2021.

The pipeline of projects under development and in the pre-construction phase under open access is estimated to be over 1 GW.

In India, the open access solar market has provided an effective alternative for investors and developers who do not participate in extremely competitive auctions for large-scale projects that are also limited to specific geographies and find the rooftop solar market too small.

In the open access market, developers can choose creditworthy offtakers for the power they produce and earn an attractive return on investment. This also helps distribution companies address power shortages and encourage green power generation.

On July 30, 2021, Mercom will host a webinar on ‘Open Access Solar Market in India’.

You an register for the webinar by clicking here.

The panel includes Shashank Sharma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SunSure Energy; Arijit Mitra, Deputy General Manager – Channel Business, LONGi Solar; Sindhu Sharma, Lead – Energy Management of Nxtra by Airtel; and Animesh Jain, Director & Finance Head – Global R&D, Cipla.

Priya Sanjay, Managing Director, Mercom India, will moderate the session.

The panelists will discuss the current price trends in the open access market, business models, transaction types, and attractive states. They will also analyze different policy scenarios and decode how open access solar market economics work in India.

For large corporates and publicly traded companies, buying solar through group captive has the benefit of saving on energy cost – the bigger the energy consumption, the bigger the savings.

Bharti Airtel has been at the forefront of greening its data centers. Nxtra by Airtel currently operates ten large and 120 edge data centers across India. During FY 2022, it aims to meet over 50% of its power requirements through renewable energy sources and contribute to Airtel’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

Indian pharmaceutical major Cipla has been procuring green power and plans to achieve carbon and water neutrality, zero waste to landfill, anti-microbial resistance stewardship, and green chemistry by 2025. The company has added to its solar energy portfolio through various initiatives such as an on-site rooftop or ground-mounted solar under the RESCO model, a third-party solar open access power purchase agreement, and a group captive solar open access project since 2019.

The executives from Nxtra by Airtel and Cipla will share their experience of going green, reducing their carbon footprint and operating expenses, and their plans for the future.

Register for the webinar now to be a part of an interesting and educative discussion.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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