Here is a collection of the most-read news stories and in-depth articles of 2025. Many of the top stories this year related to policy moves that influenced rooftop solar markets, trade actions reshaping solar manufacturing economics, grid reliability concerns, tax reforms, and investments in clean energy manufacturing and transmission.

Rooftop Solar Installations Crash in Kerala Due to Policy Restrictions

Kerala witnessed an unprecedented drop in monthly rooftop solar capacity additions, as low as 12 MW in July this year, compared to an average monthly installation of 35 MW, due to an unfavorable regulatory proposal by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) that impacted the segment. According to KSERC’s draft order, net metering for rooftop solar systems is limited to projects with a capacity of up to 3 kW. For projects between 3 kW and 5 kW, there is a mandate to include an energy storage system of up to 30% of the project size. The existing rules provide for net metering up to 1 MW.

India Slaps 30% Antidumping Duty on Solar Cell Imports from China

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) imposed antidumping duties up to 30% on imports of solar cells, whether or not assembled into modules, originating in or exported from China for three years. The duty imposition follows the conclusion of the antidumping investigation initiated by DGTR in December 2024. The investigation was initiated following a joint application filed by FS India Solar Ventures, Jupiter International, Tata Power Solar, and TP Solar. The probe was conducted from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. The injury period was between 2020 and 2021.

Seventeen Power Transformers Fail in 1H 2025, Many Early in Operation

Transmission utilities reported 17 cases of power transformer failures at 220 kV and above between January and June 2025, according to a report by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The CEA observed that a large number of transformer failure incidents remain unreported, as many state and central transmission utilities and private utilities have failed to share data. Transformers are the costliest equipment in a switchyard/substation. They are expected to serve the entire life of the substations, which is considered to be 35 years. Of the 17 failure incidents, the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company alone reported nine transformer failures during the six-month period.

New GST Rates on Renewable Energy Goods Likely to Reduce Costs and Tariffs

The reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 12% to 5% on solar cells and other renewable energy devices is likely to lower power costs for consumers while enhancing the viability of projects for developers. In addition to solar cells, wind turbines, and wind-powered electricity generators, as well as ocean/tidal wave devices, the GST cut will also benefit these sectors. The tax rate also applies to fuel cells for motor vehicles, including those powered by hydrogen. The GST on non-lithium batteries was reduced from 28% to 18%. Engineering, procurement, and construction service providers said they expect their costs to come down by 7 to 10%. Earlier, 70% of the project cost (goods) was billed at 12% GST, and 30% of the project cost (services) at 18% GST, resulting in a composite tax rate of approximately 13.8%.

Budget 2025 Focuses on Clean Energy Manufacturing, Halves Solar Module Duty to 20%

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening domestic value addition and enhancing India’s manufacturing ecosystem for solar cells and modules, electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and high-voltage transmission equipment. Presenting the Union Budget 2025, she noted that the power sector is among the six focus domains for India’s growth potential and global competitiveness during the next five years. The Budget saw revisions in estimates for various energy programs. The allocation for the total solar sector has gone up from ₹150.61 billion (~$1.73 billion) to ₹242.24 billion (~$2.79 billion).

India Moves to Secure Rooftop Solar Data with Stricter Inverter Protocols

India is moving to keep rooftop solar telemetry on India-based servers to protect data leakage, as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy advances a national, vendor-neutral data layer for inverters under the PM Surya Ghar program, which targets 10 million homes and 30 GW of capacity. The draft framework standardizes how inverter-side devices authenticate and publish data to a centralized platform, aiming to mitigate cyber risk and enhance grid visibility. The push is framed around energy sovereignty, amid concerns that some monitoring dongles and loggers have been routing data to overseas servers.

Government Tightens Solar Cell Manufacturing Norms

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy mandated that only solar cells manufactured using undiffused wafers will qualify under the Domestic Content Requirement policy, effectively prohibiting the use of “blue” or diffused wafers. This is to ensure that the most critical stages of solar cell manufacturing—such as diffusion, printing, and metallization—are carried out entirely in India to strengthen the domestic solar industry. The manufacturing process of solar cells begins with silicon ingots, which are formed by melting and crystallizing high-purity silicon. These ingots are then sliced into thin wafers using precision cutting techniques.

India Plans ₹530 Billion Ultra-High Voltage AC Transmission System by 2034

The Ministry of Power is enhancing India’s power transmission infrastructure with an ultra-high voltage alternating current transmission system. Nine 1,100 kV lines and ten substations were identified for development by 2034, with an investment of ₹530 billion (~$6.2 billion). The Central Power Research Institute is developing the system’s testing facilities, according to Power Minister Manohar Lal. Power evacuation infrastructure in India has lagged behind the pace of solar and wind energy capacity additions. Several transmission projects have been delayed due to challenges from right-of-way issues, land acquisition, litigation, and securing forest, wildlife, and tree-cutting approvals.

Quality Issues Surface in Rooftop Solar Systems Under PM Surya Ghar

As rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana reach 1 million nationwide, concerns have arisen about the lack of quality checks for the components and the absence of standardization. Several new installers with little or no experience have entered the rooftop solar market to cash in on increasing consumer demand. Industry insiders say the quality of the installations is being compromised in a rush to meet targets in some states. According to Mercom India Research’s Q4 & Annual 2024 India Rooftop Solar Market Report, the country installed 3.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity in 2024, an 86% increase from 2023. In Kerala, which transitioned from its state program to the PM Surya Ghar program, some mandatory quality tests have been ignored.

Solar Power to Become Cheaper as Government Cuts GST on Cells

In a big boost to the renewable energy component manufacturing, the Ministry of Finance reduced the goods and services tax (GST) on solar cells, wind energy generators, and biogas plants from 12% to 5%. The reduced GST rates were announced at the 56^th meeting of the GST Council. The GST reduction will make solar project development about 5% cheaper. Solar tariffs may also come down significantly. Solar cells, whether assembled into modules, will now be subject to a GST of 5%. The same GST rate will apply to solar lanterns/solar lamps, solar cookers, solar water heaters, and systems.