Published Aug 10, 2022 | 4:58 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2022 | 5:03 PM
Tamil Nadu is the front runner in South India with a capacity installation of 0.86 GW followed by Telangana and Kerala. (Creative Commons)
Adding 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to the power grid from January to June this year, India achieved a new feat in its solar-power drive by recording its highest-ever half-yearly addition.
India added a record capacity of 8,400 megawatts (MW) of solar energy as of 30 June this year, compared to 4,900 MW in the same period last year.
The 71 percent hike in capacity addition this year includes the development of three solar industry segments — utility-scale, open-access and rooftop.
The latest figures were shared by JMK Research & Analytics — a consulting firm on renewables, electric mobility and battery storage market — on Monday, 8 August, based on the data provided by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Tamil Nadu was placed third among the states on the pan-India table, with a capacity installation of 860 MW.
Telangana and Kerala were next on the list, with capacity addition of around 600 MW and 250 MW, respectively.
Karnataka stood eighth on n the table, with nearly 100 MW of added solar capacity.
Rajasthan led the pack with a solar capacity uptick of 4.5 GW, followed by Gujarat (1.5 GW).
According to the MNRE, India’s cumulative renewable energy (RE) capacity till June 2022 was 114 GW.
With a 51 percent share, solar energy was the most significant contributor, followed by wind energy (36 percent), bio-power (9 percent) and small hydro (4 percent).
The JMK research said around another 20 GW was expected to be added this year in India: 16.5 GW from utility-scale and 3.5 GW from rooftop solar.
“The country’s capacity addition in the utility-scale domain has been commendable, and it is on track to achieve nearly 97 percent of its 60-GW target in 2022,” the research said.
“On the other hand, in rooftop solar, just over a quarter of the 40-GW target is likely to be achieved by December. This segment is expected to fall short of its target by 25 GW,” it added.
The Union government augmented its target for non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in 2021 to 500 GW, which it aims to reach by 2030. Out of this, solar power’s contribution is likely to be around 300 GW.
