India added 6.7 GW of solar capacity in the first quarter of 2025, according to Mercom India’s latest Q1 2025 India Solar Market Update Report. The numbers reflect a 25% YoY decline compared to the 9 GW added in Q1 2024. Solar installations were also down 14% from the nearly 7.8 GW added in Q4 2024. Of the total capacity added, 5.5 GW came from large-scale solar projects, with open access installations contributing nearly 19.8% of the new capacity. However, large-scale solar installations dropped 15% quarter-over-quarter and 36% YoY.

Mercom India has released the India Solar Market Leaderboard 2025, outlining the market share rankings and competitive dynamics of the Indian solar sector for the calendar year 2024. The report notes significant changes in company rankings during a year marked by high capacity additions, primarily due to the commissioning of previously delayed projects and projects that were extended following the reinstatement of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers order.

Government agencies floated around 14.4 GW of solar tenders in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, a 53.1% drop compared to 30.7 GW in Q1 2024, but a 5.4% increase from Q4 2024. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has set an annual bidding target of 50 GW for renewable projects, with a minimum allocation of 10 GW for wind power. However, agency-specific targets for FY25 have not yet been specified. The four implementing agencies, NTPC, NHPC, SECI, and SJVN, together issued tenders amounting to 77% of the 50 GW annual target for FY25.

Solar power accounted for 22% of India’s total installed power capacity and 47.6% of the total installed renewable energy capacity at the end of Q1 of the calendar year 2025. The share of solar power in the total power capacity increased by 6.8% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and 27.3% year-over-year (YoY). India’s renewable energy capacity, including large hydroelectric projects, accounted for 46.1% of the cumulative power capacity, with 218.6 GW installed at the end of Q1, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker.

Adani Green Energy, ReNew, ACME Solar, NTPC Renewable Energy, and O2 Power emerged as the top utility-scale solar project developers in India for 2024, according to Mercom’s India Solar Market Leaderboard 2025. Together, these companies accounted for nearly 52% of the market share, reflecting a year of aggressive capacity additions and project commissioning. India’s utility-scale solar market saw a record-breaking year, with 22 GW of capacity additions, up nearly 235% compared to 6.6 GW in 2023.

When the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana was launched, it carried a bold promise. The goal was to help 10 million Indian households become prosumers through rooftop solar systems by March 2027. However, over a year into its rollout, the program faces a critical roadblock. A severe shortage of solar modules that meet Domestic Content Requirements continues to hinder its progress and threaten the realization of its long-term objectives.

India added 1.8 GW of wind energy capacity in Q1 of the calendar year 2025, an increase of 63% YoY from 1.15 GW in Q1 2024. The capacity additions rose 134% QoQ, according to Mercom India Research. Wind-specific renewable purchase obligations from 2023 to 2030 and the annual onshore wind bidding target of 10 GW from 2023 to 2027 have served as key long-term policy enablers for capacity additions.

Tata Power Solar, Roofsol Energy, Mahindra Solarize, Gentari (formerly Amplus Solar), and Kalpa Power emerged as the top rooftop solar installers in India in 2024, according to Mercom India’s India Solar Market Leaderboard 2025. Together, these five companies accounted for nearly 30% of the total rooftop solar market. India added 3.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity in 2024, marking an 86% increase from 1.7 GW in 2023, as per Mercom India’s 2024 Q4 & Annual Mercom India Rooftop Solar Market Report.

The growing demand for green energy adoption by corporates was evident as 6.9 GW of solar capacity was added in the open access mode in 2024, a record number. Compared to the previous year, the installations were up 77%, per Mercom’s Q4 & Annual 2024 India Solar Open Access Market Report. Of the large-scale solar capacity added in 2024, 31.2% was under the open access model. The cumulative solar open access capacity reached 20.2 GW as of December 2024.

India added 1.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, up 232% year-over-year from 366.5 MW. Installations in Q1 saw a decline of 6.2% from 1.3 GW in Q4 2024, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released Q1 2025 India Rooftop Solar Market Report. Rooftop solar accounted for over 18% of the country’s total solar installations during the quarter. The quarter’s installations were driven by the residential segment under the PM Surya Ghar program, which made up nearly 77% of the capacity additions.

India generated approximately 42 billion units of solar power in the first quarter (Q1) of the calendar year 2025, a 32.7% YoY increase, according to data published by the Central Electricity Authority. Solar generation rose 22.8% QoQ from 34.2 BU. In Q1 2025, 6.7 GW of solar capacity was added in India, representing a 6.8% growth QoQ and 27.3% increase YoY, contributing to the rise in generation numbers. The onset of summer in most regions also drove the generation.

India’s green energy open access sector has witnessed steady growth over the past few years, with an increasing number of commercial and industrial consumers switching to clean energy. The open access model is a compelling choice for these consumers seeking to meet their clean energy mandates and lower their power bills. India’s solar capacity additions under open access have also experienced an uptick.

Jakson Green, Tata Power Solar, Hartek Group, L&T Construction, and Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy emerged as the top utility-scale solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) service providers in 2024, according to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 2025 Report. Jakson Green was the leading EPC player with a market share of 20%, followed by Tata Power Solar with 13%. Hartek Group, L&T Construction, and Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy rounded off the top five.

The MNRE updated the ALMM by adding 8,653 MW of solar module manufacturing capacity. The cumulative module manufacturing capacity has reached 87,973 MW after the latest additions. Premier Energies Global Environment (Premier Energies) (1,085 MW), Indosol Solar (472 MW), Pravanya Solar India (Luno Solar) (79 MW), Green Brilliance Renewable Energy LLP (32 MW), Nextbrio Industries (21 MW), Amrut Energy (48 MW) were the new entries.

The MNRE released draft guidelines for the series approval of solar modules. These guidelines aim to facilitate testing laboratories and manufacturers in forming product families for performance testing under the Solar Systems, Devices, and Components Goods Order, 2025. The guidelines are designed to simplify the approval process for multiple products with design or material variations to ensure compliance with the Bureau of Indian Standards registration requirements.

The MNRE is introducing changes to the Guidelines for Small Hydro Power Schemes, initially published in 2009 and amended in 2014, to address the challenges faced by stakeholders in the small hydropower sector. The amendments cover receiving the Central Finance Assistance and the grace period for project commissioning. The changes will apply to all projects approved under the program after the 2014 amendment.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission issued directions to power exchanges, focusing on reforming contract design, trading mechanisms, and operational transparency. The principal trigger for this order was the consistent price deviation in day-ahead contingency contracts from the day-ahead market, alongside concerns of potential manipulation and market fragmentation caused by overly flexible contract structures.

The Ratnagiri Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra was incurring a steep electricity bill of ₹91.6 million (~$1.07 million) a year on powering streetlights that the 846 gram panchayats had to pay. Last year, the local body hit upon a revolutionary idea to bring down its power bills. But it did not opt for the oft-trodden path of rooftop solar. Instead, it went in for a 1 MW ground-mounted solar project.

The Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission issued the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (Terms and Conditions for Green Energy Open Access) Regulations, 2025. Captive renewable energy projects, including behind-the-meter installations, can have a capacity of up to 200% of the consumer’s contract demand. If the installed capacity of a captive power project exceeds 100% and goes up to 200% of the contract demand, a battery energy storage system is required.

The Maharashtra state government announced a range of incentives across categories for the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) under the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy for 2025. The policy targets every one in three vehicles registered to be an EV by 2030. It offers an incentive of a maximum of ₹2 million (~$23,502.8)/vehicle in the passenger bus/goods carrier category.

The Forum of Regulators has recommended exempting electricity duty and cess on input energy for pumping to reduce costs and promote investments in pumped storage projects. Input energy for pumping in pumped storage projects (PSPs) should not be treated as ‘consumption,’ and therefore, electricity duty should not be levied on these projects, it has said. The forum also suggested extending the waiver of Interstate Transmission System charges for new PSPs and hydropower projects beyond June 30, 2025.